A Little Zogai player throws the ball to first base for an out during a game against the Little Rascals in the 2024 Natibu Sports Association “Cover Home” Tee-Ball Summer League at the Capital Hill softball field on Saturday.
A parent guides a Little Rascal player during his turn at bat in a game against the Little Zogai in the 2024 Natibu Sports Association “Cover Home” Tee-Ball Summer League at the Capital Hill softball field on Saturday.
CHILDREN of the NMI rejoice! After roughly five years of absence due to the pandemic, Tee-Ball has finally returned.
The 2024 Natibu Sports Association “Cover Home” Tee-Ball Summer League officially began on June 29 at the Capital Hill softball field.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said league coordinator Clair Sablan in an interview. She said lives have changed a lot since the pandemic and its harmful effects on the youth’s physical and mental health.
“The Natibu Sports Association is excited and filled with pride to announce the resumption of tee-ball,” she added. “Engaging in sports can help alleviate the detrimental impact of the pandemic on the physical and mental well-being of our children. Therefore, it is crucial, now more than ever, to ensure that they have many opportunities to participate in sports,” Sablan added.
With the return of Tee-Ball, there was a great demand for new teams, but the available budget permitted the participation of eight teams only comprised of 15 players each.
The NSA Tee-Ball League is provided at no cost to the participating teams, which will also receive free jerseys and hats for their players, coaches and managers.
“We supply all the essential equipment and ensure that there is water available in each dugout for the duration of the season,” Sablan said. “Our officials and announcers are all volunteers who cheerfully sacrifice their Saturdays and Sundays — if necessary — to assure the well-being of our youngsters,” she added.
Melissa Camacho, a former president of NSA, introduced the program as a means of engaging with the community through sports.
She noticed a significant disparity in the availability of organized sports for younger children, particularly in the transition to little league baseball. She also noticed the lack of sports opportunities for girls.
NSA volunteers aim to transfer responsibility to their younger counterparts to train and motivate them for new leadership positions.
According to Sablan, this will bring in new perspectives and guarantee the long-term success and continuity of their outreach activities and their association.
“Although [Camacho’s] shoes were challenging to fill, I received valuable advice from an experienced and passionate board. Ultimately, our motivation stems from the well-being and betterment of our children and our communities,” Sablan said. “In order to achieve a more promising future, it is important that we establish a solid groundwork and assume responsibility for actively contributing to the resolution of problems,” she added.
The NSA “Cover Home” Tee Ball Summer League is an introductory level league that will help participants learn the basics of baseball. The league allows the children to learn the fundamentals of the sport in a friendly, non-competitive environment.
Participants will learn the beginning concepts of hitting a ball off a tee, fielding a ball, running the bases and throwing a ball. Although the eight teams will face each other through a series of games, NSA does not keep official scores. However, they do keep track of “outs” to monitor the progress and development of each team.
Despite the outcome of every game, the scores always end in a tie with no championship finale. However, at the end of each season, every player receives a trophy for participating.
The eight teams participating this season are the Little Ballers, the Little Rookies, the Little Twins, the Little Rascalz, the Little Braves, the Little Falcons, the Little Rug Ratz and the Little Zogai.
The games are played every Saturday at the Capital Hill softball field with the first game starting at 9 a.m. and the last game played at 12 noon.
The final round of games is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 10 followed by a Family Fun Day and trophy presentation slated for Sunday, Aug. 11, or Saturday, Aug. 17.
