Campbellsport Athletic Association Providing for the Campbellsport Community for Decades

Campbellsport Athletic Association (CAA) has been an integral part of the local community by developing and leading local recreational sports activities for over 30 years.
The CAA was created over 30 years ago with the goal of creating an entirely volunteer-driven organization that had the sole focus of creating an amazing recreational space to conduct youth sports and activities in the local community.
It was through the engagement and efforts of dozens of volunteers over a number of years to construct and build the facilities at Columbus Parc and ultimately create CAA, Campbellsport Athletic Association.
Some of the key local community members who were involved in the launch of CAA include but are not limited to Rick Heisler, Jeff Lindsley, Chuck Doyle, Dale Michels, Daryl Nimtz, Dale Zingshiem, Norman Serwe, Butch Roth, Mark Gruber, Tim McGray, Rory Thelen, and many others.

Columbus Parc’s opening dedication occurred on June 13, 1993, and it still is an integral landmark in the local community to this day.
“The involvement and evolution of the CAA in the local community has been a huge driving force in the construction and ongoing support of Columbus Parc, which has supported sports in the Campbellsport area,” said CAA president Joe Ninnemann. “The commitment of a volunteer organization like CAA has allowed for generations of families to expose their kids to the benefits of youth sports and has translated into amazing young student-athletes across the district for some time.”
Campbellsport Athletic Association routinely supports other local non-profit organizations in their humanitarian efforts, including supporting the Campbellsport Chamber of Commerce, St Matthew’s Church and School, Campbellsport Firemen’s Auxiliary, Knights of Columbus, Campbellsport Jaycees, and Campbellsport Lions Club, along with many others.
“While our organization is focused on providing a safe and engaging environment for sports and recreational activities, we understand the impact of broad support for other area charitable organizations that support the mission of bettering our local community,” said Ninnemann. “It can be seen by the engagement of members of CAA and the CAA board of directors in several of the other organizations mentioned here.”
To this day, key local businesses/entities have been foundational to the support of the programs success, including Loehr’s Meat Market, Drexel Building Supply, King Pin Lanes, Village of Campbellsport, Campbellsport Public Works, NJK Construction, Campbellsport News, Zehren Custom Homes, Murphy Concrete & Construction, Kohn’s Filling Station, BWS Plumbing, CD Smith Construction, Smith & Hatch Insurance Agency, Kettle Moraine Electric, K&D Custom Concrete Specialists, Fire Bug Car Wash, Matter Construction, SLS Photography LLC, Wenger Construction, Campbellsport Piggly Wiggly, Kruepke Printing, Lindsley Construction, Johnson School Bus, Campbellsport H&R Block,Operation Coffee Roasters, Perron Trucking, Camelot Golf Club, B’s Bells, Holiday Automotive, Valley Hydro Excavation, TTI Trucking Inc., Gary’s Landscape, JF Ahern, Baumhardt Sand & Gravel Inc., Swenson Tool & Die, National Exchange Bank & Trust, Mueller Excavating Inc, Koffman AutoWorks, JD Designs and Graphics, and True North Roofing.
Any area business can become a business partner by supporting CAA with an annual advertising fee, and they will advertise their business with a large vinyl sign that is hung on the outfield fence on the diamonds at Columbus Parc.
The mission of CAA is to provide recreation and enjoyment for the youth and families of the community. In doing so, they have created a culture that encourages sportsmanship and fair play, that focuses on building the confidence and self-esteem of all the youth participants within their various programs.
“Providing a foundational and structured organization for youth recreational activities is core to our mission and involves engaging parents and the entire family in those activities,” said Ninnemann. “We will continue to focus on those principles while additionally raising capital that will allow the association to maintain and provide recreational facilities now and into the future, that will allow us to continue to provide and elevate the quality of our programs for the youth of our community.”
The Campbellsport Athletic Association baseball and softball season runs each year from early April to mid-July, with the CAA hosting an annual fast-pitch girls softball tournament in early May each year. The tournament routinely brings 15+ local teams to the village each year on tournament weekend, which is a great outreach for the CAA and the program’s commitment to the community.
The CAA golf clinic is typically held in June each year and focuses on the fundamentals of golf for ages ranging from first to eighth grade.
The Campbellsport Athletic Association gymnastics is supported in large part due to a partnership with Ms. Kim Keceli and is hosted in the gymnasium at St. Matthew’s Catholic School. The program has been supporting local youth gymnastics participation for several years and is open to a wide range of elementary school-aged children.
CAA flag football is held in September and October each fall for several weeks at Columbus Parc, with the program focusing on the fundamentals of football and exposing kids to throwing, catching, blocking, and agility drills along with simulated gameplay.
The CAA board continues to review additional sports that can be added to the program in the future, with basketball being a key topic of discussion for the future.
“We are actively exploring the potential of partnership with the Campbellsport Youth Basketball program (4th-6th grade) with the goals of absorbing that program under the CAA umbrella to help ensure the support and success of that program for generations to come,” said Ninnemann.
Key Members of the association are as follows:
• CAA Board President: Joe Ninnemann
• Secretary: Matt Stoffel
• Treasurer: Lindley Mauer
• Facilities: Rick Heisler
• Current Board Member: Seamus Garvey (Past President)
• Past Treasurer: Brian Schill
• Board of Directors: Kevin Soyk, Damien Feucht, Lindsey Petersen, Brian Lackas, Trevor Schill, and Adam Crass
• CAA Banquet Committee Members - Justin and Jamie John, Troy and Lottie Schill, Jodi Garvey
Each year, the CAA also hosts a Fundraising Banquet to help generate capital funds to support ongoing upgrades to Columbus Parc facilities and/or upgrades to existing equipment. The banquet typically occurs in the early spring and is open to the public. This one event alone has raised over $25,000 annually, and all of the proceeds are poured back into local youth recreational programs and facilities.
“As we look to the future, CAA will continue to prioritize our mission statement of providing recreation and enjoyment for the youth and families of our community,” said Ninnemann. “As youth sports continue to evolve and the prevalence of AAU or travel teams continue to rise, we will continue to focus on developing a program that can continue to thrive for the youth of our community and provide a space for children of all ages and skill sets to enjoy the experience and be exposed to the positive benefits of teamwork, confidence and respect for your team and your opponents.”
“The reason people should join CAA and consider volunteering their time is that it creates a community-centered culture that is focused on the benefits to the youth in our area. The past and current members of the CAA have always prioritized the outcomes of the youth athletes in our area, as opposed to the impact on them,” said Ninnemann. “While it does take a commitment, it is through the selfless acts of so many that this organization has continued to thrive for 30 years, and despite generational changes, that success has continued and led to the growth and development of a great local park like Columbus Parc.”
“As CAA continues to move into the future, we are always actively looking for additional parent volunteers who embody and embrace the principles of our mission statement and want to continue to ensure that not only their children, but children of the entire local area, can experience an engaging environment that has their best interest at heart,” said Ninnemann.
The Campbellsport Athletic Association Board typically meets monthly to discuss topics of importance, and they are always open to/interested in having potential new board members join a meeting to engage in the environment and see if it’s something they can commit to.
Meetings are typically held on Wednesday evenings but are scheduled on an as-needed basis, depending on the availability of the board members.
If someone is interested, they can reach out through the “Contact Us” page on the CAA website at www.campbellsportathleticassociation.com, call 920-979-9464, or email jrneagleeye@gmail.com.
Any parents or families interested in registering their child for youth recreational activities with CAA can also register directly on the website.