WEST SIDE LITTLE LEAGUE SKILLS SHOWCASE SATURDAY MAY 10, 2003
What a terrific turnout at our first ever Pepsi Pitch, Hit and Run event!
With over 50 players and families participating, boys and girls ages 7-14 competed and showcased their pitching, hitting and running abilities.
Thanks to the efforts of our Registrar, Foster Gibbons our coach-officials Rafael Hernandez, Phil Wong, Eric Green and a lot of other parents who "pitched in," the afternoon went off without a hitch -- even the weather cooperated!
In the first event, players tried their hand at Pitching -- 6 attempts from 45 feet to a designated "Strike Zone" target. "That was the hardest," exclaimed Gabe Paley, winner of both the Hitting and Running competitions for his age group. "I had expected to win that one, but it was hard." Gabe threw 3 out of 6 strikes on his 6 attempts. Josh Jacobvitz, All-Around Champion in the 9/10 age group, was the only player to post a perfect score in the event, hurling 6 out of 6 strikes!
The second event, hitting to straightaway centerfield from a stationary tee, also proved to be very difficult for most of our players more accustomed to facing live pitching. Generally kids tend to give up the tee after a certain age, and they forget the mechanics of it. Max Tierno, winner of both the Pitching and Running competitions for his age group hit the batting cage with a tee the very next day.
The running event, from off first base to home plate - a distance of 160 feet, went by swiftly and was swiftly run, with several players posting times of as fast as 8.94 seconds. The majority of players were in the 9 to 10 second range! It was very impressive. Check out the photos in our photo gallery!
Champions in each event for each age group received ribbons, and will advance along with each age group's All-Around Champion, to the sectional competition which will be held in Cunningham Park (Queens), Field # 2, on May 31st at noon. For a complete list of participants and their scores, click here to download the file.
Special thanks again to Foster for setting up the event and running it flawlessly, and to Neil Wright, for expertly preparing the field. This event certainly would not have happened without their leadership and hard work. Thanks also to the many parents and coaches who showed up and helped with the competitions and keeping the kids organized and safe. Thanks again to Phil Wong and Rafael Hernandez, who deserve special mention as they went above and beyond the call of duty and to Texas and Duke Hoover for helping out by selling soda and popcorn.
If you can make it out to Queens on the 31st, please go and cheer for our players! Due to its great success, we plan to make this a yearly event. Look for it on your calendars for next season, and until then? Practice, practice, practice!
Posted by FG at May 15, 2003 04:24 PM