Published On:Wednesday, March 10, 2010

THE YMCA's affiliation with the Hall of Fame Baseball League in Florida is giving young Grand Bahamian athletes an opportunity to get more exposure by playing in the US.

Twenty-three boys traveled to South Florida to compete against teams in the 12-and-under and 14-and-under divisions.

The trip was made possible through membership fees and donations. The Grand Bahama Port Authority Limited (GBPA) is also a major corporate contributor to the programmes at the local YMCA.

"The roles of organisations such as the 'Y' are vital in communities. With today's push towards encouraging youngsters to become more physically active, programmes offered by the centre provide multiple avenues for them to develop physically through sport. Therefore, GBPA is more than happy to lend our support to one of the 'Y's' newest initiatives as it relates to baseball," said Ian Rolle, president of the GBPA.

Coach Knowles is optimistic about the baseball academy's new thrust. "We are not a baseball or softball league. As an academy our focus is to transfer knowledge, provide high level training and international exposure opportunities for our members. Through the YMCA, organisations like GBPA have given us a chance to assist these young people and we are very thankful," he said.

The overall aim of the YMCA's Baseball Academy is to prepare the young players to be ready to accept opportunities as they become available in high schools, colleges and universities abroad.

The academy has already placed young men in academic boarding schools and universities in the US as student athletes.

"This is another aspect that we find most encouraging," said Rolle. "Through participation in such programmes an even greater avenue is opened up for those who excel to study abroad on athletic scholarships to their betterment."

The YMCA Baseball Academy's trip to Florida was termed successful with local Grand Bahama players excelling in base-running speed, and hitting in the 14-and-under division.

Four games were played in each division, with the Grand Bahama players winning one game each per division, bringing their records for the season in both divisions to 1 and 3.

"Our boys are behind in terms of experience and we're especially concentrating on pitching and hitting. However, that's the main purpose. We want the exposure to benefit the kids. This is a very competitive baseball league which really demands our attention and focus to ensure our teams are prepared and ready to play," said coach Knowles.

Additional trips to Florida are planned for March 19 and April 23.

"Opportunities such as this are invaluable for their future development. We have a lot of work to do, but we have a plan, the coaches to assist with this plan and the resources to ensure our boys get exposure to high level training and game experience," he added.