Little Leaguers benefit from dedicated volunteers

To the editor:
    I would like to express my gratitude to the good-hearted, caring volunteers who have worked both with my son, Eric, and others like him this Little League season. These folks work very hard at their regular jobs during the day and then spend hours in the evenings working with 7-12 year-old players, helping them to hone both their mechanics and sportsmanship skills. This is because they, like the kids, have a sincere love of the game.
    At the beginning of the season, I watched as some children swung at pitches three feet over their heads. Other kids picked four-leaf clovers in the outfield, chewing the leather straps on their gloves as they found particularly interesting ones. Balls hit to second base could easily be home run balls. Not anymore! With the help of their patient coaches, these hitters have managed to locate the strike zone and now the outfield are catching those pop-ups and running over the clovers instead. I’ve seen some great plays from each child on my son’s team and if you’re a parent or grandparent watching your child play this year, I’m sure you’ve seen remarkable growth, too.
    This wouldn’t happen if we didn’t have people willing to give up their time for others. I’ve seen my own son develop as a player and as a person. For that, I am thankful to the coaching staff of the Walmart team. I’ve seen great people working with other teams all season long too, and again I say, “Thank you.” It takes special people to work with kids, and you’ve done your jobs brilliantly.
Amy Webb
Houlton