​Community Action Highlights - Spring is Just Around the Corner!

Are you ready for warmer weather, the grass to start growing and the sun to shine? We are too! Happy Camp Community Action is looking forward to the spring and is excited to share information on Youth Baseball Program in Happy Camp, Somes Bar and Seiad. This program is the only organized sports program available to young children (ages 4-9) along the Klamath River. Signups for Little League and T-ball in Happy Camp began on February 1st and end March 10th. Parents and guardians can go to Happy Camp Elementary School, Monday-Friday to sign-up their children, ages 4 to 12 years old. The cost is $25.00 per child, checks should be made out to H.C. Youth Baseball Program. Opening day is scheduled for April 29, 2017; practices will start during the first week of April.
 
By getting involved in youth baseball such as joining a league team, children can experience several key benefits that improve their overall health and wellbeing. Not only is baseball a form of physical activity and exercise, but kids love to play it. Regular exercise allows the youth to relieve all the tension from the day’s work and expel that energy in a positive way. Youth athletes can receive direct and proper training by coaches, learning the key fundamentals and aspects about the sport, whether it’s hitting, pitching, fielding, proper form, and hand-eye coordination. It also helps develop the mind of the youth on a physical and mental level, as well as give the determination and drive to reach goals. Baseball harnesses the focus, and induces problem solving ability.
 
Baseball builds relationships. It supplies the individuals with the environment of about 8-10 players on a team with supportive coaches who all share the common goal and purpose; to develop and enhance talent, go out and win, and more importantly, to experience the fun of baseball, or any other sport. By developing friendships at an early age, children tend to carry these relationships for many more years as they grow together. A player learns how to play his role in a ball game, whether it is swinging for the fences, or hitting for contact to move a runner over. Players learn how to play for the benefit of the team rather than individual achievements.
 
Finally, one of the most major benefits of playing baseball, or any sport in general, is to stay physically fit and active. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported that obesity in youth tripled from the mid-1970s to 2000s. Engaging children in sports programs at a young age helps them build confidence and self-esteem, increasing the chances they’ll continue playing sports in upper grades and high school. Getting involved provides many benefits to our youth, encouraging children to spend time outdoors with their peers and away from sedentary activities such as playing on computers or cell phones and watching television. 
 
For questions or more information about Little League and T-ball, please contact Kerri Crocker at 530.493.2267. For questions about this article please email hccommunityaction@gmail.com.