From The World Of Parks & Recreation
By Doug Comer
I apologize for the absent article a week ago as I was still in shock over how Spieth made a quadruple bogey 7 on the 12th during the Masters. To which, it created a writer’s block that was as strong as the Great Wall of China preventing the Mongolians from invading the country during the Ming dynasty.
But, now it is time for a fresh start. The weather is taking a turn to the positive, the days are getting longer and local baseball is beginning the first swing of the spring. For Parks and Recreation, it means that T-ball registration is just around the corner.
On Tuesday, April 26th, HCPR will begin initial registration for its T-Ball league for any child between the ages of four through six years of age. This non-competitive league is funded through the help of the Vital Service Levy as well as the County Commission. In case you miss the first week of registration, there will be another the following week.
“Sports have always been a character-builder in a child’s life,” said Recreation Specialist Jack Cann. “And we use our T-ball league as a stepping stone toward the decision on whether to pursue baseball at a later age or change to another sport.”
And our program is not designed to meet the levels of competition that you find with Pony, Little or Travel Ball leagues. But, it is a fun, family-oriented beginning level sport where kids are allowed to have fun and learn the basics of a game that they could play for years to come. And the Parks is happy to be the benchmark for the baseball start-up.
“We offer a non-competitive league where a positive atmosphere is practiced,” said Cann. “All the kids get to play the field as well as have the chance to bat. Our games last only three innings and no score is kept. I am sure that some parents keep a mental track of the game, but the only thing we keep in the book is the names on the roster as well as the inning.”
For the game itself, if there are less than three outs and the entire lineup has batted, then we go ahead and let the kids on base run home and then we switch sides. The staff and some volunteers help with the basic fundamentals of hitting throwing and catching. And yes there is always some confusion out there on the field. In my best baseball pun, I call it a “Comedy of Errors.”
“We have a lot of fun out there and we have a lot of laughs when kids run to the wrong base or there are two runners on the same base at the same time. Again, it is a learning league and kids can make all the little mistakes they want. We never judge, we only help,” said Cann.
If you want your child to participate in the program, registration dates are the following: Tuesday, April 26th and Wednesday, April 27th as well as Tuesday May 3rd and Wednesday May 4th from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at the Harrison County Recreation Complex.
For more information, please contact Jack Cann at 304-423-7800.
