By Hendley Badcock
Buena Vista Parks and Recreation officials are stepping up to the plate and restructuring the community’s Little League program.
Parry McCluer High School Baseball Coach Jason Coleman has assisted Buena Vista youth sports as a coaching mentor in the past. He gave his opinion of the program as both a parent and fan.
“The program has been plagued with poor sportsmanship for years,” Coleman said. “This starts with the attitude of parents and families of the athletes, the coaches, then filters down through the kids.”
The Little League program includes football and cheerleading in the fall, basketball in the winter, T-ball, baseball, softball and soccer in the spring, and tennis in the summer.
Buena Vista City Council Member Melvin Henson, who is also on the Buena Vista Parks and Recreation Committee, said the city must work to increase morale for the program.
“We’ve got to make it something that the kids will talk about and make the kids proud of,” Henson said. “If you make the kids proud of it, the parents will be proud of it, too. And if you get the parents proud of it, they will work harder to make it more of a program.”
Henson said the city could examine its coaching techniques before the upcoming spring season.
“The Little League program should be fundamental, teaching them how to field, how to throw, how to recover a loose ball and stuff like that,” Henson said. “And they got beyond that…the coaches wanted them to win, win, win.”
Coleman is developing a guide for the Little League coaches. The guide will list skills coaches should cover. He also hopes to host clinics, teaching basic skills, for the kids.
“The elements focus on both the mental and physical aspects of a complete baseball player,” Coleman said. “If we’re consistent in establishing a sound philosophy with each group, at each stop through our youth sports program, the ceiling of success is going to be that much higher when they compete at the varsity level.”
Playing against more competitive teams could give Buena Vista’s Little League the chance to apply these skills. [pullquote] “The Little League program should be fundamental, teaching them how to field, how to throw, how to recover a loose ball and stuff like that.” ~Melvin Henson [/pullquote]
Glen Maury Park Executive Director Ronnie Coffey said hosting tournaments to attract more competitive travel teams could boost Buena Vista’s program.
In a meeting with program coaches and parents, Coffey and Henson discussed hosting at least one baseball and one softball tournament this summer.
“It’s unbelievable…how many people travel every weekend to play ball somewhere,” Coffey said. “Hopefully we can get some tournaments in Buena Vista this year. Hopefully we’ll make some money by doing that because they draw big crowds and you also get to see some really good players.”
Finances are another issue the program is facing, so the revenue potential from hosting tournaments is appealing.
Buena Vista Parks and Recreation does not usually charge entrance fees for Little League sports. The program gets its funding from player participation fees due at the beginning of the season and from the department’s overall budget. To increase its budget, the league plans on charging for entrance into the summer tournaments.
“With the budget being tight…you might have this much for recreation,” Henson said, pinching his index finger and thumb together. “So, maybe a $2 charge to go and watch the games. The money goes right back [to the program].”
In gearing up for the season and tournaments, program officials hope to rally greater community awareness of the programs downfalls. They hope that community support will help improve the program for the kids.
“It’s important that everyone understands the role youth sports play in our community,” Coleman said. “Once we’ve identified a clear purpose, it becomes easier to tackle the obstacles that are detracting from that purpose.”