From getting the equipment ready to grooming the field, tournament time takes a lot of work.
Both on the field and off, dozens of volunteers at Hampton Little League are working around the clock.
“It’s been a lot of work but it’s been so fun,” says Hampton Little League president Michelle Peterson. “We’re really fortunate because we have a super amazing group of volunteers and we have volunteers that don’t even have kids in the park.”
Hampton is hosting the District 7 major Little League Championships.
It’s a 10-day round robin tournament with the winner of Sunday’s final going to provincials.
And feeding all those hungry players, parents and fans is quite the undertaking.
“It’s really busy after the game ends, just a big pack of people come all at once,” says concession volunteer Ella Jeffery. “We pre-make some of the food because we’re so busy.”
They’re so busy chopping produce, popping popcorn and flipping burgers, they’re having to run to the store two to three times a day to get more food.
“We ran out of buns during the rush last night so Alison, our concession manager, needed to run to the story and she came back with six bags of buns,” Jeffery explains.
Everyone has a different reason for volunteering.
Many are parents but many are also former Hampton players.
“I grew up playing at Hampton and I’ve always wanted to give back to the community that helped me grow as a player and a person,” says volunteer Cassidy Nouta.
And win or lose, organizers say these games are all about building community.
“I love the values of little league,” Peterson says. “I love that it’s not just about playing baseball and being competitive. It’s about building really good people and citizens and developing community.”
Tess van Straaten
