Four years ago Mandy Schoumacher was drawn into the wonderful world of baseball by her son. Where he still needed a bit of motivating in his first year, three…
Four years ago Mandy Schoumacher was drawn into the wonderful world of baseball by her son. Where he still needed a bit of motivating in his first year, three years ago the baseball spark caught fire. “The moment he started making progress, he really went for it. And so did I,” Schoumacher says. “I am a real organiser and started helping out at the club straight away. In 2021 my son took part in the try-out for the first time but was not selected; a year later he was. The selection itself was already almost magical. The coaches made the training sessions a celebration, really forged a team. You could see belief growing in the children — in the team, but above all in themselves. I thought that was wonderful to see. When the position of regional coordinator in Amsterdam came free, I said I wanted to do it.”
Schoumacher: “My responsibilities as regional coordinator are varied. First of all making sure there are enough players and coaches, and that there are fields available to train on. Then there is the financial side, and that can be quite a challenge. Certainly when registrations are lagging a bit. The registration fee covers our costs and lets us buy shirts, for example. Those shirts get worn all year: ‘I took part in the NK Little League’ — children are rightly proud of that.”
Taking part in Little League is in the players’ interest
“Writing to as many clubs as possible to point their members to Little League is therefore a big priority for me. It is important that clubs know that taking part in Little League does not come at the expense of their own club. It is actually in the players’ interest, because everyone (between 10 and 16 years old, ed.) can register, everyone stands a chance, no matter which club you play for. That is the beauty of Little League. We create dreams. The youngest ones can have a taste of it, get the experience of a national tournament. That is truly ‘the bomb’ for these children. And not only for the youngest — it is special for the older ones too. If you do not play in the higher divisions with your club, you still have a chance of being selected. That glimpse through the hatch — what if you could play at national level, maybe even go to Europe — is a trigger to think further. To dream. It gives you energy to get better, to be seen and selected. Certainly in large regions, where there are many players. On top of that you meet lots of other players and broaden your horizon.”
“We hope to have enough registrations this year so that we do not have to merge with other regions, and can put more teams on their feet overall. Although merging can bring something good too: in 2022 the intermediates (baseball) of the Amsterdam and Kennemerland regions joined forces. They became Dutch champions, then European champions, and got to compete in the World Series in America. That really is the ultimate dream coming true, the icing on the cake. And Little League gives players that chance.
Register! You can still register for Little League up to and including 29 February. Have you not signed up yet? Then be quick and do it through this website, and become part of the softball and baseball family. You can also sign up here as an umpire or a volunteer!
Originally published on nklittleleague.nl.
