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August 2, 2007
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August 2, 2007 |
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sports It’s a mudilicious t-ball evening What an extraordinary night we had at t-ball last week — but first let me remind all our t-ball families and friends that this Friday night, Aug. 3, is the final night of the 2007 season. After a shortened evening of play, we’ll have our annual potluck wiener roast followed by the awarding of a Perry League trophy to every child who shows up. Now back to last week. At 6 p.m. the heavens opened and it poured down rain for 15 minutes. “Oh no. Do we play or not?” Coach Chris Murphy and I went out to the park to check out the diamond and see if anyone would show up. The diamond’s a mat of mud. It’s difficult to walk on it. Your feet sink an inch or two with each step. The mud is very sticky, and heavy, caking your shoes. Kids and their parents come, of course. The first is Emry Acton, 3, of Springfield. Her mom, Sarah McNamara Acton, heard about the Perry League at Wright State. When I ask Sarah and her husband Brian, “Should we play in the grass or in the mud?” they look at me as if I were a madman and say, “Grass.” Ian Hawkins, who is 4.8 years of age (which is how his mom listed his age on our sign-up sheet), comes next. His mom, Rachel Goff, and dad, Jeremy Hawkins, say either mud or grass is okay with them. Their very good-looking, clean-cut, lightly freckled son Ian is another of these summer t-ball miracles, like Luka Sage-Frabotta, 2, and Devyn Deal, 3 — a natural athlete with grace and poise, speed and coordination, and a loving and joyful heart. Matthew Duncan, 3, and his sister, Riley, 5, come running onto the field next. “Wanna play in the grass or in the mud?” I ask. “In the mud!” Riley exclaims immediately. She is absolutely certain. “In the mud!” And she’s a glamour child, too, one of those billboard beauties, a young Kate Hepburn: thin, straight-spined, stunningly beautiful. So when she’s so definite about playing in the mud, I take hope (I always want to play in the mud). I ask Riley’s dad and mom, Michael and Leigh, what they think. Leigh smiles brightly, shrugs her shoulders and says the mud’s okay with her. Michael steps onto the diamond -— he’s been volunteering, tossing out balls, the last couple of weeks. His feet stick and swell in the mud. He trudges slowly to the pitcher’s mound, thick halos of mud clinging to his feet. “Mud’s okay with me,” he says, and I’m delighted. Austin Wise, 3, and his little brother Logan, 1, show up with their mom, Katie. Austin clearly prefers the mud. Katie, carrying Logan on her hip, says the mud is, “Fine by me.” So we decide, we play in the mud, a nearly impossible thing to do, and as always, the children amaze and delight. Austin Wise packs mounds and mounds of mud onto every ball he gets his hands on, each ball growing to be as big as the head of a small monkey. Ian Hawkins, though, really tries to play ball, but it is pretty tough when the moment a ball hits the ground it sticks fast, like a fly to flypaper (it’s a little like throwing a handful of ground beef on the ground, how far it does not travel). Luka Sage-Frabotta wants to play ball, too. He is not the least bit interested in all the mud and water. When he comes to the plate to bat he’s confronted by a dozen or so puddles, each four to six inches across. He deftly leaps from a dry spot right onto the black rubber base of the tee itself. But now his body is flush with the hollow tube upon which we perch the ball. He’s too close to hit, but coach Callie Cary saves the day, helping him find a purchase that is more or less mud and water free, ensuring that the boy remains spotless (there is not a trace of mud on him anywhere). Unlike Joseph Minde, 4, Mr. Champion Mudball. With his father Matt standing over him, he plops down, and lies flat on his back, in a very moist, very muddy spot near the pitcher’s mound. And then he rubs his back, and his hips, and his shoulders into the mud. He’s really working at it, as he wiggles and wriggles and squirms on the ground, in the mud, determined to get mud on every square inch of his body. He looks like a bear scratching his back on a tree — only Joseph’s flat on his back, on the ground, and the tree he’s using as a scratching post is an all-mud Perry League t-ball diamond. Aamil Wagner, 3, and his lovely older sister, Amani, 7, are doing the same thing in a series of puddles running down the third base line. They, too, are on the ground, sitting in it, lying in it, squishing and squirming in it, both of them thoroughly delighted. “Watch it, Aamil,” Teresa Wagner says in vain, “you have on white pants.” Not for long, Mom, not for long. Eamonn Devine, 4, lumbers onto the diamond in a pair of brightly colored galoshes, winter snow boots. He tries to run to first base in them, but finds the going much too arduous, so halfway to first he mutters something to himself, turns around, and still talking to himself, heads back to the bench. Eliza Gilchrist, she’s 2 and-three-quarters, stands on the sideline next to her dad Brian, her beautiful penetrating dark brown eyes wide in wonder. She’s spic and span, not at all interested in getting any of this mud on her delicate and gorgeous self, but she is absolutely fascinated by all the rest of these muddy, clearly deranged mud ball children. And that’s our Perry League, Yellow Springs’s t-ball (and sometimes mud-ball), program for all the community’s children ages 2–9 regardless of race, color, or creed. Our wonderful, mudilicious season comes to an end this Friday, Aug. 3, with our wiener roast potluck and the awarding of trophies. So come on out. Join us at Gaunt Park, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., for our season finale. We’d love to have ya, we really and truly would. Seadog season swims along Yellow Springs Seadogs swam strongly in two rain-shortened swim meets at Gaunt Park to tie Forest Ridge and overcome Oakwood on June 26 and July 10. A deluge stopped the June 26 meet right after the backstroke races were finished. Rain and lightning delayed the July 10 meet so that the relays were cut. On June 26, the girls 11–12, 15–18 and boys 11–12 age group dominated and the boys’ and girls’ points were almost evenly split for a total of Yellow Springs, 134, Forest Ridge, 134. On July 10, the Seadogs teamed up with the new and tiny Middletown team (eight swimmers) to splash off against the powerful Oakwood team. The Oakwood girls outswam the Seadogs/Middletown combo, 141 to 111, but the Seadog boys team swamped the opposition 132 to 78. The total score was Yellow Springs/Middletown — 243 to Oakwood — 219. Elizabeth Malone and Megan Carlson won all their individual races in both meets. Girls: Yellow Springs, 51; Forest
Ridge, 58 The results for the rain-shortened June 26 meet at Gaunt Park were as follows: Girls: 6 and under: Maleah Gillman-Baggett, 1st, 25 backstroke; Maddie Denman, 3rd, 25 backstroke. 8 and under: Julie Roberts, 2nd, 25 butterfly; Annie Welsh, 2nd, 25 backstroke; Aza Hurwitz, 3rd, 25 backstroke. 9–10: Sophia Davidson, 2nd, 25 butterfly, 3rd, 50 freestyle; Hypatia McClellan, 3rd, 25 backstroke. 11–12: Megan Carlson, 1st, 100 freestyle, 50 butterfly; Mary Lewis, 1st, 50 backstroke; Hannah Baise, 2nd, 50 backstroke, 3rd, 100 freestyle; Zarine Giardullo, 3rd, 50 butterfly; Lewis, Carlson, Baise, Orme, 1st, 200 medley relay. 13–14: Elizabeth Malone, 1st, 100 freestyle. 50 butterfly; 15–18: Taylor Massie, 1st, 100 freestyle; Jordan Reynolds, 1st, 50 butterfly, 50 backstroke; Miriam Barcus, 2nd, 100 freestyle, 3rd, 50 backstroke; Liz Zaff, 2nd, 50 butterfly; Rachel Biggs, 2nd, 50 backstroke; Erin Turner, 3rd, 50 butterfly; Barcus, Massie, Reynolds, Danielle, 1st, 200 medley relay. Boys: 6 and under: Jakob Woodburn, 1st, 25 backstroke; 8 and under: Nathan Gillman-Baggett, 1st, 25 butterfly; Fisher Lewis, 2nd, 25 backstroke; Hayden Orme, 2nd, 25 butterfly; Lewis, Orme, Gillman-Baggett, Reed, 1st, 100 medley relay. 9–10: Theron Orme, 1st, 50 freestyle, 2nd, 25 butterfly; Fielding Lewis, 3rd, 25 butterfly; Aman Nqgakayi, 2nd, tie, 25 backstroke; Joseph Elcessor, 2nd, tie, 25 backstroke; 11–12: Matt Pettit, 1st, 50 backstroke; Eli Biggs, 1st, 50 butterfly; Chris Brown, 2nd, 100 freestyle; Taylor Ford, 3rd, 100 freestyle, 50 backstroke; Brown, Ford, Nqgakayi, Davidson, 1st, 200 medley relay. 13–14: Jesse Jewell, 1st, 50 backstroke, 2nd, 100 freestyle; Matt Salazar, 2nd, 50 butterfly; Taylor Qualls, 2nd, 50 backstroke; Zeb Reichert, 3rd, 50 backstroke. 15–18: Mike Petit, 1st, 100 freestyle, 50 backstroke. Girls: Yellow Springs/Middletown,
111; Oakwood, 141 Results of the July 10 meet for the girls events are as follows: Six years old and under: Maddie Denman, 1st, 25 backstroke; Maleah Gillman-Baggett, 1st, 25 freestyle, 2nd, 25 backstroke. Eight years old and under: Evalynn Orme, 3rd, 25 backstroke, 25 breaststroke, 25 freestyle. 9–10 years old: Danielle Williamson, 2nd, 50 freestyle, 100 individual medley, 25 breaststroke; Charlotte Walkey, 3rd, 50 freestyle, 25 backstroke, 100 individual medley; Sophia Davidson, 2nd, 25 freestyle. 11–12: Megan Carlson, 1st, 100 freestyle, 50 butterfly, 100 individual medley; Mary Lewis, 1st, 50 backstroke, 50 freestyle, 3rd, 100 individual medley; Paloma Wiggins, 3rd, 50 breaststroke. 13–14: Elizabeth Malone, 1st, 100 freestyle, 50 butterfly, 100 individual medley; Greta Hill, 2nd, 50 breaststroke, 3rd, 50 butterfly; Katie Triplett, 2nd, 50 freestyle. 15–18: Miriam Barcus, 1st, 100 freestyle, 50 freestyle, 2nd, 50 backstroke; Sarah Brown, 1st, 50 backstroke, 2nd, 100 freestyle; Chloe Ramsay, 2nd, 50 freestyle; Amy Brown, 3rd, 50 breaststroke. Results for the boys’ events are as -follows: 6 and under: Elliot Wiggins, 1st, 25 backstroke, 2nd, 25 freestyle. 8 and under: Nate Gillman-Baggett, 1st, 25 butterfly, 25 freestyle, 2nd, 25 breaststroke; Fisher Lewis, 1st, 25 backstroke, 2nd, 25 freestyle; Hayden Orme, 1st, 25 breaststroke, 3rd, 25 freestyle; Hunter Grant, 2nd, 25 butterfly, 3rd, 25 backstroke; Jeff Crawford, 2nd, 25 backstroke. 9–10: Fielding Lewis, 1st, 25 backstroke, 25 freestyle, 2nd, 50 freestyle; Theron Orme, 1st, 50 freestyle, 2nd, 25 butterfly; Aman Nqgakayi, 2nd, 25 backstroke, 25 breaststroke, 3rd, 25 freestyle; Joseph Elcessor, 3rd, 25 backstroke. 11–12: Hudson Grant, 1st, 50 butterfly, 2nd, 50 freestyle; Chris Brown, 2nd, 100 freestyle, 50 backstroke, 50 breaststroke; Taylor Ford, 2nd, 100 individual medley, 3rd, 100 freestyle; Eli Biggs, 3rd, 50 backstroke; Kosi Nqgakayi, 3rd, 50 freestyle. 13–14: Kevin Brown, 1st, 100 freestyle, 50 butterfly, 50 freestyle, 100 individual medley; Zeb Reichert, 1st, 50 backstroke, 2nd, 100 freestyle, 50 freestyle. 15–18: Zane Reichert, 1st, 100 freestyle. YSHS soccer practice Pre-season practice for the Yellow Springs High School boys soccer team will begin on Monday, Aug. 6. Training sessions will be held Monday through Friday, from 10 until 11:30 a.m., and from 4:30 until 6:30 p.m., on the practice field behind the high school. Athletes are expected to attend both sessions each day, and should bring their own ball, water, cleats and running shoes to each practice. For additional information, contact head coach Jim Hardman at 767-2200. Football coaches sought Coaches are needed for junior high and high school football. Interested parties should contact Coach Craig McCann at 532-5111 or Coach Crosswhite at 232-3572 as soon as possible. High school practice begins Thursday, Aug. 2, 4:30 p.m., at the YSHS fields. Junior high practice starts on Thursday, Aug. 9, 5 p.m. Both teams practice Monday through Friday. YSHS, JHS volleyball practice begins Monday Volleyball practice for Yellow Springs High School and junior high school will begin Monday, Aug. 6, in the YSHS gym. YSHS practice will start at 10 a.m. JHS will begin at 12:30 p.m. All participants should bring shorts, gym shoes and knee pads. X-country practice begins The Yellow Springs High School Cross Country teams, fresh off a sixth-place team finish at the state meet in 2006 and this year’s individual state championship by Sam Borchers, will start practices for the 2007 season on Monday, Aug. 6. All boys and girls in the seventh through twelfth grades are invited to join. Separate teams will be fielded for both boys and girls at the high school and middle school levels. For more information, contact Coach Vince Peters at 767-7424.
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