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Family that plays together stays together
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Baseball promotes bonding, one enthusiast says.
YOUNGSTOWN — Sheryl Strock is an example for those who care about their children — and grandchildren.
That’s the reason the North Sider is grateful for the Youngstown Police Athletic League’s push to register youth for its baseball and softball programs this spring.
“It’s something for kids to do and it’s very constructive,” said the single mom who welcomes any program that provides activities for inner-city children.
“There were a lot of kids at the field last year whose parents couldn’t afford the fees. The kids had that longing look, so you know they wanted to play, but didn’t.”
Last year’s registration fee for enrollment in the Youngstown Baseball Association’s league was $20 a player; T-ball was $15. But, through YPAL and the Mahoning-Youngstown Community Action Committee, sign-up for this summer is free.
“There’s not a lot of money in Youngstown, so, with YPAL’s help, maybe we could get a lot of kids,” Strock said. “Having sponsorship makes more kids eligible. Maybe parents don’t realize that it’s free, but they’ve got to get them to sign up.”
The only requirement is that parents or guardians must provide a birth certificate and sign for the child, whether for T-ball, baseball or softball divisions.
The only other stipulation is getting the children for whom they’re responsible to and from practices and games.
Strock has registered three of her five grandchildren involved in the new YPAL baseball program after having them in the YBA’s league last year.
Her two children played in YBA’s predecessor, the Uptown Kiwanis League.
“Gibson Field was better-kept back then,” she said of conditions under the Uptown banner. After the Uptown folded and YBA was defunct for about three years, Gibson fell into disrepair.
Enter Victor Morales, who got the YBA up and running again in the last three years.
“A lot of times, Victor and his son went early to get the fields ready, but that’s part of getting things started up again and people in place,” Strock said.
Her son, Joseph, now 25, played on the Ohio Carpet team with Kelly Pavlik. Coincidentally, their team was undefeated, not unlike the middleweight champion’s 33-0 record.
Strock recalls that Pavlik was an exception on a team with players whose first names began with J: “There were mostly Johns, Joes or Jasons, so we were thinking of calling them the J-team.”
Strock’s grandchildren have the same enthusiasm. “They can’t wait. The kids have been outside playing catch on the few nice-weather days. It gives them something to do, that’s the whole thing,” she said.
While attending a Martin Luther King Day school presentation at Harding Elementary in January, some children recognized Strock’s daughter, Mary, and they approached her.
“They asked her if they were playing again this year and that was January,” Strock said of the interest generated by her 19-year-old daughter’s participation as a volunteer coach in 2007.
“Now that the league’s back, we want to keep going and keep the kids involved. My mom told me that trouble is easy to get into and hard to get out of. Today, some kids don’t have places they can go for free, and some parents can’t afford registration in pay programs,” Strock said.
With an organized activity, idle time is minimized. “My son got to meet new people and has made long-lasting friends. He still sees friends he played with back then,” she noted.
Strock’s involvement in the lives of her children and grandchildren is extremely important for their guidance.
“I try to instill a good ethic in the kids,” said the woman who works at a group home for mentally challenged adults. “You’ve got to work at something if you want to accomplish anything worthwhile.”
She has become a cheerleader for the league, in big part because of the example set by Morales: “Last year, if someone had five or six in their family, that’s expensive, but Victor would work with them. Everybody talks about taking the neighborhoods back and this and that, but, if you take one kid at a time off the street, it has the same result.”
She also encourages parents to volunteer. For example, her daughter Mary coached last year and will jump in and fill someone’s shoes, if necessary, to prevent a forfeit.
“I want people to realize it’s for the kids. It’s not so much about hitting a home run or being the star, but learning sportsmanship and playing as a team,” Strock said. “My grandchildren are not all angels, but I’d rather have them knock a ball around than knocking some other person around.”
Although YPAL and its baseball league is moving to West End fields on North Hazelwood, she won’t forget the good times at Gibson. Volunteering to work in the concession stand was her way of contributing. But there were fun times, too.
“With permission from the park department, we had a little carnival last year and sold dinners to raise money. We didn’t raise a lot of money, but the kids had fun on the slip-and-slide,” she said.
The assortment of family situations when adults and children mesh at practices and games is interesting, Strock noted. “Not only are there traditional family units, but single parents like myself and even foster-care parents.”
A few churches had teams, too. “The background doesn’t matter; they’re more than welcome. We don’t turn anyone away who has a genuine interest in their child’s well-being.”
Even twentysomething males with no children took enough of an interest to coach, Strock said. “That was refreshing to see.”
She has another grandchild playing in the suburbs, but her 8-, 11- and 16-year-olds are at home in YPAL.
“My grandchildren living with me want to play with their friends. They could have played in an adjoining community, but it’s not all about trophies. They want to play with their friends and the kids they go to school with.”
Although this is the second go-around for Strock, the entertainment value of watching a T-baller never gets old.
“Sometimes it’s just kids sitting by their base playing in the dirt or watching faces light up when they hit the ball for the first time.”
Enrollment will continue through April on Saturdays at the Salvation Army on Glenwood Avenue from 1 to 4 p.m.