The Forest Park Baseball Association is no
more.
President Eric Seum announced in
early August that the board of directors had
voted to dissolve the organization after 49
years of youth baseball in the subdivision.
"Unfortunately, we are not able to
sustain a baseball league with so few
participants and so few volunteers," he
wrote in an Aug. 3 email announcing the
decision.
Things turned around quickly.
"I am happy to report that we found
somebody willing to step up and keep the
organization active," Seum wrote a week
later. "We are in the process of turning
over everything to the new board of
directors."
Last week, that "somebody," Blendon
Westerville Little League president Brian
Frazier, discussed why his 20-year-old
organization was willing to take on the
Forest Park association's participants and
ballfields, which are located behind
Woodward Park Elementary School.
"Kids need something to do other than sit
on the couch," Frazier said.
The Blendon Westerville teams play their
games "five to eight minutes down the road"
from the Forest Park fields, he added.
"We just decided it might be a good thing
for us to come down and bring an official
Little League program to their diamonds,"
Frazier said.
Signups for players ages 4 to 15
interested in being on teams that will play
at both locations will begin in January.
Frazier indicated that some of the coaches
from the Forest Park Baseball Association
have expressed an interest in continuing
their involvement now that it's being
absorbed in a Little League program.
"We're sad to see another program go down
because youth sports are needed all over,"
the league president said. "But we're
encouraged by the response so far. They
claim they'll be able to get interest
going."
In April 2010, after complying with the
city's sign codes and not posting ground
signs throughout the neighborhood to let
youngsters know it was time to sign up for
Forest Park Baseball, Seum said the number
of players dropped by 40 percent over the
previous year. That resulted in a reduction
in the number of leagues from the usual five
to only three.
In any given year, "right around" 250
players participate on Blendon Westerville
Little League teams, according to Frazier.
"Anybody coming in from the Northland
area is just going to be a bonus," he said.
"It's a great area, a great location.
They're good fields. They need a little
work, but they're nice."
Frazier added that the Forest Park
Baseball Association board had turned over
its email list to him, so he would be
reaching out to past participants.
Those interested in more information may
visit the website of the program,
www.bwllbaseball.com.
kparks@thisweeknews.com
www.ThisWeekNews.com
