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With new ball team, more kids will play By Amy Fishman staff writer
A new youth baseball organization recently formed and will soon begin training players for next spring's season.
The Algonquin Hawks Travel Baseball Association will be the second traveling baseball team in the village for boys in the middle-school age range. John Greene, the new team's co-commissioner and coach, said the board of directors wanted to put together a second traveling team in Algonquin. The village's established team, the Algonquin Area Youth Organization, has a traveling team but does not accommodate all players who wish to participate. Scott Richman, Algonquin Area Youth Organization commissioner, said only a certain number of players can be on each team. The organization didn't have enough resources to create additional teams, he said. The Algonquin Hawks Travel Baseball Association formed to give more players the chance to play more baseball, Greene said. "Our intent is get them a good mix of competition and to help them get better as baseball players." he said. Coaches will help the players focus on the game, develop skills, gain baseball knowledge and prepare for high school baseball, he added. Coaches in the new organization are experienced. All have managed or coached a team in Algonquin Area Youth Organization, Greene added. Excited about the new teams, Greene said he looks forward to seeing how the Algonquin Hawks players will do. The Algonquin Hawks Travel Baseball Association and Algonquin Area Youth Organization are not affiliated, and some Algonquin Hawks members broke away from the older team. Still, Richman said having another baseball association will not affect Algonquin Area Youth Organization. The organization's main focus isn't travel baseball, he added. "If they want their kids to play more baseball than I can offer, I have no problem with it," Richman said. The two groups are trying to work together, he said. Some players, coaches and commissioners even participate in both organizations, Greene said. There are currently three Algonquin Hawks travel teams for players 11, 12, and 13 years old who live in the area. And the association may add a fourth, Greene said. Tryouts took place in late August and early September. Certainly a lot of kids tried out, Greene said. The number of players per team will vary. "Eleven or twelve is kind of the standard number, but that's up to the individual coach," he said. Training for the spring season, which will begin in March or April, will likely begin in October, Greene said. "We'd like to see the kids come out as much as they can in the off season, if their schedules permit," he said. The players play other sports, besides baseball, and the association was designed to accommodate all their activities, he added. Traveling locations will depend on which league the association joins, but all the Algonquin Hawks teams will play in the Chicagoland area, Greene said. Also depending on which league they join, it's possible for the Algonquin Hawks to play against the Algonquin Area Youth Organization travel teams. For now, the Algonquin Hawks Travel Baseball Association is open only to boys who want to play baseball. But Greene said adding girls softball is a possibility for the future. "If somebody came to us and wanted to do softball, I don't see why we wouldn't," Greene said. Algonquin Countryside A Pioneer Press Publication Page 8 Thursday, September 21, 2006 |
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