T-Ball may seem like just little kids hitting a ball off a tee.
But the youngest division of local little league serves a greater purpose: fostering interest in baseball and softball on island. With roughly 130 kids involved, ages 5-6, T-Ball is a big part of the Cayman Islands Little League’s 2011 figure of 450 participants.
T-Ball coordinator Cheyenna Stewart states targeting the youngest swingers is about maintaining the sport’s presence in Cayman.
“Like with any sport, if it’s not fun the kids will not continue,” Stewart said. “It’s important at a young age that baseball comes off as fun and not demanding. We want them to learn the rules and basics and want to come back. Some never hit a ball with a bat prior to joining this program. All of the coaches are volunteers and they have to bear in mind that kids at that age have an attention span that’s very short. Therefore we have to make a game out of everything from running the bases to catching the ball.”
This year marked local little league’s 22nd season in existence. Matches took place throughout the week at the Field of Dreams facility in George Town and featured some 33 teams in seven age divisions. Back in March little league president Jim Parham stated that the current participation level is encouraging.
“The number of kids is actually more than in the past two/three seasons,” Parham said. “We understand that the kids can get into other sports on island like football, basketball and volleyball. The amount of kids we’re seeing now is good for the sport itself as it shows kids are still interested in the sport (of baseball). We’re hoping to build the program from top to bottom as the years go by.”
What helps keep T-Ball popular is the support of volunteers. The recent T-Ball all-star game showed a number of community members who have helped out including Colleen Williams, Jeff Pouchie and Jeff DaCosta. A coach for team Grand Old House, DaCosta spoke about the importance of T-Ball.
“This season has been one of the best that I have coached,” DaCosta said. “At the beginning of the season the basics were taught to the kids; that is batting the ball off the tee and running fast to first base. I am happy to report that all kids have progressed way past that and done so with a great attitude and determination.”
Stewart also had a hands-on role in the programme as a coach for team Logic. She states that the progress of the kids on that side was exceptional.
“Of our 17 players, we have the greatest number of female players at 10. I am proud of all of these children as they have come so far during the season. Some had never touched a baseball, some had never swung a bat and some didn’t even know what ‘out’ meant. During the season, I instilled in the children the fundamental concepts of throwing, catching, and batting. Along with this I explained how to run the bases, how they get out, what “out” actually means and making sure they know the position names of where the players play.”
Ultimately T-Ball, like the other little league programmes, is free of charge for parents and kids. With Cayman’s corporate sector continuing to lend support, local softball can continue to be accessible for newcomers. In turn Stewart states that will help other segments of the sport, such as women’s softball, stay active.
“For the kids it’s about continuous learning each year. Otherwise at a later age they will try to get into the sport, get frustrated and don’t want to come back. We keep finding less and less children involved as you get into the older divisions. For example it’s a problem with fast pitch women’s softball where the girls fade away pretty quick.
“Nevertheless I want to say a special thank you to all the sponsors and donors. Without them free baseball for all would not be possible. Little league is a great program that’s open to anyone on island. The fact that baseball here is completely free helps because some people might be hesitant with a cost involved.”
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