Keep Your Parents Off the Streets: Play Youth Baseball

Hi, I'm Beth Drum and I am a proud employee owner at Alpine bank. Giving back to the community is one of Alpine Bank's core values as it is with the many non-profits that serve our community. We invite you to meet some of these change makers as part of our series, Community Matters.

Kids, if you want to take a little advice from baseball legend, Yogi Berra sign up for Durango baseball, or softball. It's a great way to keep your parents off the streets. All kidding aside, registration is now open for spring baseball and softball teams, snow on the ground not withstanding and parents playing baseball is not only fun and great for your kids but it also reinforces the qualities of good sportsmanship honesty, loyalty, courage, and respect. That's the mission of Durango baseball and softball for more than 20 years.

It's crazy to think little over a month from now we're going to be playing on these ball diamonds, but yeah we're, we are the Durango baseball and softball organization here in town. We've been around for almost 20 years in Durango. We serve over 400 youth boys and girls age four to 14. Our season runs April through end of June, beginning of July and you'll see kids filling all the baseball and softball fields here in Durango

Durango baseball and softball is an all volunteer non-profit that organizes play for more than 400 young athletes ages four to 14 and 30 boys baseball and girls softball teams each spring. Including several traveling teams that compete with other leagues in the four corners. Durango baseball and softball board member, Josh Neiman fondly recalls his childhood summers playing baseball. Starting at the age of four, he progressed to the high school Demon Varsity baseball team and on to a five year stint on a farm team for the San Diego Padres. Now his daughter plays softball, both Neiman and Clair say baseball is more than fun it teaches youth about life.

Whenever they're out here on the field they're not on their phone. They're not, you know, they're getting exercise, they're having fun, they're learning life skills that they'll take with them forever. And I think the biggest thing is just, you know, we live in a day and age where getting our kids off a technology is a challenge and I think this is a great opportunity to do that.

It teaches them how to work with other girls, right? 'Cause sometimes that can be a difficult thing, especially in those late grade school and middle school years working together, teamwork, accountability, you know showing up on time, 'cause your team is depending on you. So yeah, teaches 'em lots of leadership skills as well.

There's times where you see a kid that's really struggling, but in the end when you keep working with them and then when you see that they have success there's nothing more rewarding than that.

Registration for the spring program is now open until Sunday April 3rd. Games start April 18th, register online at dysb.us. You can also find out more about volunteering or becoming a sponsor on the website. Thanks for watching this edition of Community Matters brought to you by Alpine Bank on the local news network. I'm Wendy Graham Settle.

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