August 5, 2004

SPORTS

Tee-ball player Amani Wagner prepared to throw the ball back to a coach during the 2004 Perry League summer season.

Wonderful tee-ball season to close

By Jimmy Chesire

This Friday night, Aug. 6, is Perry League’s final night of play. We’ve had a most wonderful summer with a record number of participants.

We will end our season as is our tradition, with a shortened evening of play, from 6:30 to 7:15 or so, followed by our potluck picnic. Then, around 7:30, we will hand out the trophies. What we do is line up along the third baseline the 80 to 90 kids who’ll be there, and then three or four pairs of adults work their way up and down the line, giving each child his or her own trophy — we have “boy” trophies and “girl” trophies, too.

It rained last week, but champs and stalwarts that these tee-ball families are, many still came to play. We had 25 to 30 kids on the field, in the rain — at one point it even poured, drenching us all, but we stuck it out, outlasting the rain and having another remarkably fine and hilarious evening of tee-ball. But because of the rain, with fewer folks showing up (we’ve been averaging 45 to 50 kids a night), we still need a few potluck items. We can handle four to five more covered dishes (only three families signed up last Friday; we usually have six to eight families bringing covered dishes). We could use another 50 to 60 hotdogs and buns, some soda pop (Perry League will provide an orange drink we get from McDonald’s). We can also use a few more desserts. And fresh fruit is always welcome (watermelon, anyone?)

Now what about these trophies? How did that come about? Well, when I took over coordinating the league I inherited all the equipment, and with it came a box full of red ribbons with “Perry League Champion” printed on them. This is what the kids were given on the final night of play. This is what we did, too, those first couple of years, but in the box of ribbons were two tiny trophies, replicas of baseball gloves mounted on a plastic pedestal made to look like it was marble. In my third season, in the summer of 1988, we had two boys, two Michaels, who had had perfect attendance. They were the only children who had come out to play every Friday night. And so on the final night of the ’88 season, after handing out ribbons to all the children and as the kids began to disperse, I asked everyone to wait a minute, telling them we had a special presentation to make.

“We have two boys who had perfect attendance this year,” I said, holding up the two trophies for all to see. “Two Michaels,” I said, and asked Michael Wilson and Michael Rittenhouse to come forward.

The two Michaels were gleeful, radiant, their faces shining, and I gave each of them a trophy and a handshake.

“Congratulations,” I said, “to two wonderful, loving, super-athletic and charming young tee-ballers.” And then to everyone watching I presented them saying, “Our two Michaels.”

Expecting applause and appreciation, dumb-o me, I was stunned by the catastrophe that I had created. Suddenly we had a dozen children weeping inconsolably, a dozen children with serious broken hearts, a dozen children wondering where their trophies were. They all wanted a trophy. And they all deserved one, they argued to their distraught moms and dads, for they’d come every single Friday night except the one or two nights their parents had taken them on vacation. It wasn’t their fault they’d missed. It wasn’t fair. I even got a call the next morning from a mother whose son was still devastated.

And the next summer we had parents informing us their children were in rebellion, absolutely refusing to go on vacation with them. They were not going to jeopardize their chances of getting a trophy this year, no sirree.

So that did it. We decided that from then on, it was trophies for everyone. And trophies it has been ever since.

This “two Michaels” story is one I’ve told before, and one I will surely tell again, but this year, with one of those two Michaels in the most serious trouble anyone can imagine, with the boy (now a young man) and his family suffering what only a very few can even begin to imagine, I wanted to let you all know this debt of gratitude I feel to him and his family. He was a good boy and they were and are, in my opinion, a fine family. And the Perry League’s trophy night exists in large measure because of them (and my blundering good intentions).

That’s the Perry League, Yellow Springs’ unique, wonderful and often hilarious tee-ball program for girls and boys 2 to 8. This Friday night, 6:30–8 p.m., at Gaunt Park, with good food and trophies for all (the kids, that is).

Girls summer basketball clinics

Basketball clinic for girls entering fourth through sixth grade this fall continues Friday, Aug. 13, 6–8 p.m., in the Bryan Community Center gym. The final practice will be held Aug. 27.

The clinics complement the KTC (Kenton Trace Conference) traveling team program and provide instruction and skills-building for girls new to basketball and those in the KTC program. Each clinic will consist of a fundamentals instruction and drills, dribbling and shooting games, and scrimmage.

Players can join at any time during the summer. For more information, call Rich Miller at 767-2049.

YSHS boys soccer team training for fall season

The Yellow Springs High School boys soccer team is now training for the fall season. Practices are held Monday through Friday, 4:30–6:30 p.m., behind the high school.

For additional information, call coach Jim Hardman, 767-2200.

YSHS girls basketball team to hold carwash

The Yellow Springs High School girls basketball team will hold a carwash on Friday, Aug. 6, noon–8 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 8, noon–6 p.m., at the Country Center Flea Market/Yard Sale, on Wilberforce-Clifton Road.

Proceeds of the YSHS girls basketball carwash will be used to purchase equipment. For information, call coach Shirley Cummins at 376-9970.

YSHS, McKinney athletes must receive physicals

Yellow Springs High School and McKinney School sports physical forms are available at the Yellow Springs Board of Education office weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

All athletes must have a physical completed and the form turned in before they can participate in a sport. Students can receive a physical from their family physician or chiropractor.

YSHS golf team meeting

The Yellow Springs High School golf team will hold a meeting Monday, Aug. 9, 5 p.m., at the high school.

Any student interested in playing should attend. Parents and guardians are encouraged to attend. Experience and equipment are not necessary, but motivation to learn the game is a must, says the coach, Seth Bothwell.