By Kiara Doyal
The Seattle Medium
For years, Nina Elmore has helped families navigate the challenges of getting their children onto the football field and cheerleading sidelines with the CD Panthers. As the organization’s registrar, she handles registration deadlines, payment arrangements and other obstacles that can make participation difficult, continuing a commitment that began when her own children joined the Central District youth sports program.
Elmore’s connection to the Panthers began through her husband, Terrell Elmore, who coached the Peewee football team. Their son was playing soccer at the time, but Terrell encouraged him to try football.
“My son was playing soccer at the time, and he was like, ‘Your son needs to play football.’ So my son started playing football, and that’s how I became attached to the program,” said Elmore. “My son moved all the way up through the CD Panther program.”
Her daughter also grew up around the organization, attending practices when she was barely a month old.
“Our daughter was born in June, and practices started in July, so she was like a month old when she started being on the field and having her cute little cheer uniform,” Elmore said. “She was always a part of the program since a baby.”
As registrar, Elmore makes sure players and cheerleaders are registered and certified before deadlines. But helping families complete the process often requires more than paperwork.
“It seems easy, but really it is a task trying to get all of the youth in the program registered because there are all kinds of problems and issues and things that arise for families. Whether it is affording the registration fees, because a lot of families don’t have the means to pay for cheer and football,” said Elmore. “It is really trying to either set up payment plans with families, or ensure that all these mechanisms are in place by the deadline.”
Over the years, Elmore has watched young athletes grow up and former players return as coaches. Former cheerleaders have also remained connected to the Panthers, helping sustain relationships that extend beyond the football season.
“You meet families from all walks of life being involved in youth sports,” said Elmore. “In the Central District, meeting families, meeting extended family members, being in the community, and watching these kids grow up in the program going off and doing great things keeps me coming back.”
Her work as a social worker in criminal defense has also given her insight into the difficulties some families face beyond youth sports. Elmore values being able to support families during challenging times while helping carry forward the vision of Charles Jackson, the longtime Seattle youth football coach who founded the CD Panthers.
“I’m also a social worker, so I also get to see kind of a little bit of the sadder side, where sometimes these kids have legal issues, legal charges, but also being able to share space with families during those most difficult times are some of my favorite memories,” Elmore said. “But really for me, it’s just seeing Mr. Jackson’s legacy and his vision, and how the CD Panthers have still been around for 30 years.”
That sense of community extends to Elmore’s own family. Her oldest daughter, who was too old to cheer for the Panthers, has returned to volunteer by selling sweatshirts and T-shirts.
Her daughter Adriana, who has Down syndrome, has also received support from people involved with the organization. Elmore said members of the Panthers community regularly check on Adriana, make sure she has food and help her while she is at the field.
“Obviously, they know us as family. We don’t have kids on the field anymore,” Elmore said. “Just still being a part of this organization means a lot, and the community means a lot to my family and I.”
Although her children are no longer participating in the program, Elmore continues looking for ways to help the Panthers grow. One of her goals is to bring summer youth employment opportunities to the organization while exploring grants and other resources to support its future.
“I just hope that it gets better year after year. One of the things that I’m looking at for next year is bringing summer youth employment opportunities to the organization,” said Elmore. “We’re in the community, looking at grants and ways to keep this program running. Hopefully, for another 30 years.”
After years of helping families overcome obstacles to participation, Elmore hopes she will be remembered for how she treated the people who came through the program.
“I hope after my time that I showed the utmost kindness and respect for families. That I tried to be respectful to them, regardless of what their personal experiences were, or whatever they were dealing with in their lives,” said Elmore. “I hope I really ensured that kids were able to cheer and play with no barriers.”
