The fields are being prepped, the equipment cleaned and the snow and storms are, hopefully, leaving us. Kids are venturing out onto the fields with bats and gloves.
It's time to move into Little League season.
Magnolia Little League (MLL) currently is organizing for the 2007 season. While looking to the future, the league will take some time to examine and reflect on what role MLL plays in the community.
According to Bill Olson, Magnolia Little League officially began roughly 21 years ago. "I think youth baseball had always been played in Magnolia," Olson said. "I think youth baseball was played in Magnolia more then 40 or 50 years ago. But the organization known as Magnolia Little League was started maybe three to five years before I became involved."
There were 300 kids involved in baseball the first year, he added.
Olson has been involved in MLL for 16 years, as a manager, a coach, an umpire, scheduler and former vice president for six years.
The MLL fastpitch program was started in 1996, and was initially founded and run by Bob Christie, with the help of Jack Sutermeister and Steve Talt. There were about 140 girls that first year.
T-ball was included in Magnolia Little League a decade back. "My wife, Sara, started t-ball as a part of Little League," Olson said. "The community center used to do it." In the first year there were 10 teams, with three coaches on each team of 12.
Since its early days Magnolia Little League has grown to more than 700 participants combined in the baseball, fastpitch and T-ball programs.
"I see us growing until we run out of fields," said Paul Merz, whose been involved in MLL for the past six years. "The community is full of young children, many of whom will have an opportunity to play baseball or fastpitch for just about as long as they want to." Merz has served as a coach, general volunteer, registrar for one year, board member for two years, as well as Web master and information officer for the past four years.
The stated goal of Little League National is, through proper guidance and exemplary leadership, to assist youth in developing the qualities of good citizenship, discipline, teamwork and physical well-being.
"Little League provides an opportunity for children to learn and play a game many of us who volunteer played when we were children," Merz explained.
"Magnolia Little League gives kids something positive to do," Olson said. "I have a lot of kids stop and tell me how much fun they had playing baseball."
Along with player and pitching clinics, MLL also runs a Youth Umpire Program, designed to train interested individuals in the rules of fastpitch and baseball and ready them for challenges they may face on the field. Started in 2003, the program has grown from eight youth umpires umping a total of 55 games, to 18 umpires who worked a total of 160 games last year.
Both boys and girls are encouraged to join the Youth Umpire Program, where they can learn the rules of both baseball and fastpitch. In upcoming seasons, youth umpires also will be encouraged to cross over and work both baseball and fastpitch games.
Many of those involved in Magnolia Little League find the sport of baseball to be an excellent proving ground for life itself. "I think baseball has always been part of our culture," Olson said. "A lot of life lessons can be learned playing sports."
The MLL fastpitch program has boasted many district eight and state tournament victories in its 12-year history. More recently, in 2006, the Fastpitch All Stars, ages 10 and 11, won the District Eight title and went on to place fifth at the state tournament in Poulsbo, Wash.
And in 2004, the Junior Girls won the District Eight title and placed fifth at the state tournament in Auburn, Wash. In 2005, playing at the seniors level, that same team went on to place in the top five at the state tournament.
According to Olson, MLL has had only one 12-year-old baseball team that won the District Eight championship go on to state. "That team contained athletes that are now playing football, basketball and baseball in college," he said.
Skills evaluation for the 2007 season will be held Feb. 10-11. Fastpitch will take place on Feb. 10 only. Registration will take place during skills evaluation; all athletes who would like to play in majors or above must attend skills evaluation.
"From my perspective, I do this to honor the memory of my father and others who gave of their time when I was a child so that I had good safe activities to participate in," Merz said. "My father told me when he heard that I would be coaching for the first time that you never know what or how much impact you can have in a child's life by spending time coaching, sometimes not until years later.
"Some of his greatest joys came years after coaching," he added, "when former players would stop him, old enough to have children of their own, to tell him that he had a positive influence in their life."
The Magnolia Little League Opening Day Parade and Ceremonies will take place March 24.[[In-content Ad]]
