It might be snowing outside, but the kids at Thorold Minor Baseball are still going to bat.
Throughout the winter months, the baseball league is holding indoor workouts with a little help from the Thorold Community Credit Union Thorold Anchors.
“We love working with them and they’re helping us build the game of baseball in Thorold,” says the president of Thorold Minor Baseball, Chris Green, in an interview with ThoroldToday. “We got the Anchors out there with some of our coaches, to run all the drills, talk to the parents and kind of help the players along as they get ready for the baseball season.”
Thorold Minor Baseball has been running the indoor training program for a couple of years now.
“We started it to get more kids interested in baseball and trying to give them some of the basic skills they need so that they’re not afraid when they get out on the diamond for the first time or they’re refreshed for when they get back out there,” Green says.
During the indoor training sessions the kids get to work on their baseball skills such as footwork, arm accuracy and catching.
Green says that the sessions have strengthened the bond between Thorold Minor Baseball and the local community.
“It helps me as the president to meet a lot of the kids but also talk to all the families that are there and answer any questions they have about the season,” he says. “A lot of those families go and tell their friends and then they come over to Thorold and play baseball with us. It’s a lot of fun. We keep it light and the kids seem to love it.”
The manager of the Anchors, Aaron McInnis, says that supporting Thorold Minor Baseball is a no-brainer.
“We saw the opportunity to come in and give back to the community,” he says. “We don’t have a tough time getting the Thorold Anchors to come out and volunteer their time. It’s a lot of fun teaching the fundamentals and getting back to basics with the kids."
Some of the Anchors learned everything they know about baseball from growing up in Thorold Minor Baseball.
“A number of kids that have played through Thorold baseball have gone on to play with the Thorold Anchors,” says Green. “Kyle D’Angela was actually the pitcher who pitched in the championship game of the OBA's and he was a former Thorold Minor Baseball player. The more the Anchors are involved the better for our youth baseball.”
That commitment from the local community is also reflected in the number of volunteers that keep the league going.
“None of us get paid to do this but we had 62 volunteer coaches,” Green says. “It shows that everyone has bought in and the community is right there with us. City council has been awesome and so has the parks department. Our diamonds are the envy of a lot of different centres In Niagara.”
That's why Thorold Minor Baseball keeps on thriving.
“Our numbers have grown,” Green says. “I think some families really enjoy the way we do it. We’re strong on communication, strong on development and the results are on the field. The last couple of years we’ve brought home three or four district championships in Niagara with how good our teams are.”
Thorold Minor Baseball’s indoor workouts are open to kids under 15 years old. You don’t have to be a registered player to join. To sign up, head over to the league's website.
