It may have been a gloomy July morning, but the smiles of the kids from the Boys & Girls Club brightened the Hart High School baseball field.
The programs’ annual Youth Baseball Camp, sponsored by DSRM Cable Construction Inc., welcomed elementary-age athletes to participate in baseball drills with the Hart baseball team.
Juniper Cottrell, site director for the Boys & Girls Club’s James T. Ventress Clubhouse location, discussed the different activities the children from various local Boys & Girls Club chapters participate in throughout the summer, including Wednesday’s event.
“Our summer camp starts in the middle of June and ends early August. The entire time that the kids are out from school, they are able to come to our club — they just have to register for membership, and then they get to experience different programs such as our baseball camp, our different rooms such as art and games rooms and things like our STEM programming,” Cottrell said. “Today’s event is a one-day thing that we do every summer. We have a super great relationship with Hart baseball, especially being so close. It’s a great opportunity for everyone to come together as a community.”
According to Cottrell, the Boys & Girls Club has been cooperating with the Hart baseball team for over a decade.
“The kids love being a part of this baseball camp. They love getting to meet the high schoolers, and something like this is aspirational for them, where they get to see examples of their future and what they could do. It gets them interested and excited for sports,” Cottrell said. “It’s a great opportunity for them. We noticed that when kids are engaged in these activities, they learn teamwork skills, communication and healthy lifestyles.”
Brad Meza, head baseball coach for Hart’s varsity team, led the day-long program for the third time.
“This has been a tradition here at Hart for quite a few years. To continue it on after coach [Jim] Ozella left has been a blessing — to give back to the community. The Boys & Girls Club are our neighbors, so it’s pretty cool,” Meza said. “It’s great for our older boys to see where they started, have them help out, give back and watch these guys come out here and have a great time.”
Meza organized various drills for the children to participate in for the three-hour program.
“We started the day off by introducing ourselves. They stretched — our boys ran them through some stretching routines. They played catch. Now they’re working on a drill that’ll work their outfield skills on fly balls. Then, we’re going to hit. We have a few hitting stations: We’ll split them up into three different mini fields, and they’ll play a scrimmage,” Meza said. “When I was in school [at Hart], we didn’treally get to do this. This started later on when I was assistant coaching here, so to now be running it and being a part of it, it’s fantastic.”
Incoming senior and outfielder Johnathon Torres discussed how this experience was a full-circle moment for him.
“This is my first year participating in this event. The kid that I have right now is a really cool kid, and it brings me back to where I was at, because I was at the Boys & Girls Club down at the [San Fernando] Valley,” Torres said. “Talking to him made me wish I would go back to being an elementary kid. It seems like they’re just enjoying life, and have nothing to worry about now. Everyone right now is having fun. I feel like other kids want to experience something that they can remember because I remembered my experiences and now I’m seeing it now as a teenager. I would absolutely recommend it.”
