The Field of Dreams

The Spring Season Whilst the state funded schools (much like those in UK) could possibly be criticised for not including enough sport in the ciriculum, the same can not be said for our local township (think local counsel but we haven't yet worked out the politics).  Both girls have joined with the enthusiasm expected from their parents the Berwyn Paoli Little League baseball season and the baseball pitches around and about, which have lay silent for the winter, and now buzzing with activity. Well for the little ones it is T-ball, a mixed game for 4-6 year olds.  When batting the skill is swinging as hard as you can if you are 3' 6" tall at a ball a staged on a "T", and then running for your life.  When fielding it involves everyone scurrying like an ant to the ball (or day dreaming making castles in the sand and grit that is the pitch).  Four (yes 4!) innings later everyone shakes hands (well high 5's), the coaches give the team a great morale boosting talk, and the game is announced as ending in a draw with all children having scored a run on each innings.  Quite how the league is decided we have yet to determine but with 10 games in 8 short weeks the season is full on and I am sure that there is some plan (rock, paper, scissors may be the ultimate decider). Well, it ramps up pretty quickly and for the 7 year olds there is no such gentleness.  The game  splits by gender and the girls progress to softball (although there is nothing soft about it if you ask me!).  Batting now involves hitting from a pitcher (although an adult volunteer is roped in) and players have the humiliation of hitting from a "T" if they haven't managed to strike the ball after 5 pitches.  Fielding now involves team positioning - the plum jobs being pitchers helper or first base.  At all the other positions the team seem to revert to the carefully honed sandcastle building skills of their "T" ball days by the 3rd innings (yes - still 4 innings each side per game!).   An innings is over when one team scores 5 runs or the other gets 3 out.  G's team are the slow starters and are usually loosing 10-1 by the end of the top of the 2nd innings but they somehow seem to recover themselves and scrape a draw.  This league is far more competitive though with 14 games in the 8 week season and weekly practices it is keeping us all busy. What's amazing about this league is the absolute army of volunteers that emerge to support the league.  Each team our girls are involved with have at least 2 dedicated coaches and all the other father's get involved too (M has been known to pick up his glove too when accompanying G). The coaching in top notch with everyone keen to pass on their skills of throwing, catching, fielding and batting and the sheer intensity of the season and practice means even the least sporting minded learns something and gets a chance to be involved.  Ours are having a ball.  We will have to get them to a real match soon!