On Saturday (April 19th), Newburyport’s Pioneer League launches its 50th season. A ten-member board runs the impressive organization that involves nearly 770 area kids from ages six to fifteen.
“We’ll be ready to go,” said League President Bob Horne. “The fields were opened to practice on April 8th.”
With numbers second only to the Newburyport school system, this voluntary organization obviously enjoys citywide appeal.
Ten years ago, there were about 400 players. What draws kids is the realization that they will see plenty of action (at bat and in the field) if they sign up to play. The certainty of playing time sits well with most parents too.
“Our goal is to teach kids how to play the game,” said President Horne. “We want them to learn teamwork and how to get along. During the regular season the emphasis is not with winning as much as it is on participation and learning the skills of the game.”
Bob Horne’s background would suggest why he’s comfortable with this low-key approach. “I grew up in Gorham (Maine) which didn’t have much of a little league. We played what you might call, sandlot ball. There was only one real field in town. We found other places to play when it was unavailable. You’d get your friends together and play for hours and have fun.”
All the participants and all the games make Pioneer Park and its four fields a busy place into August. The league has worked at being a good neighbor. “We do our best to clean up and also we’re aware of the traffic issues on that section of Merrimac Street when games are being played,” added Bob.
A revitalization plan is in the works for Pioneer Park. The plan eliminates one of the four fields and adds off-street parking. “The architectural plans are nearly finished and the cost for this project should be known soon,” said Bob. “We have a fundraising committee in place. We are fortunate to have Mike Doyle on our board to head the project. He did a similar one in Springfield ten years ago.”
The project will be done in the off-season. “In the first phase we’ll take care of drainage issues and build a new clubhouse,” explained Bob. “In the second phase we’ll relocate the parking and the last part will be adding the fields.”
Bob Horne works daytime for a distribution arm of International Paper called XPEX. Over the next 3+ months he’ll have plenty to do in the evenings as well. He became involved in the Pioneer League 13 years ago when his son Will began playing. Now Will is a senior umpire.
“Running this league is a 12-month job for the ten-member board,” said Bob. “We have worked well together and I hope that we’ll stay together for a while.”
“To see kids enjoying themselves and being part of respected organization in town is very rewarding.”
For more details on the league, check out their website at www.thenewburyportpioneerleague.com.
(Submitted to The Town Common on April 10, 2008)
McClelland Miscellanea 