Softballs and bats might have been used, but the Troup County 2012 Fall Ball Bash tournament was all about sportsmanship, teamwork and having fun.
Fifteen softball teams in four leagues took part in last Saturday’s Special Olympics State Softball Invitational. The games were held at the Troup County Parks and Recreation’s Shuford fields. Players, coaches, volunteers and spectators arrived early with the first games starting at 10 a.m. The weather was overcast but the rain held off and it turned out to be a perfect day for the ball games.
J.J. Kuerzi, Troup County’s Special Olympics coordinator, kept everything running smoothly Saturday.
“These games are just one small piece that makes LaGrange such a great community to live in,” Kuerzi said. “Teams from all over the state like to play here because of the great fields and facilities that we have. For events like these I can always find volunteers,” she said.
Four games were played simultaneously which kept volunteers busy. The Troup County umpires volunteered to officiate the games games and members of the LaGrange Rotary Club manned the scoreboards. Since the games went on until late afternoon, many of the volunteers were divided into two different shifts. Each of the teams had their own volunteers who assisted the players and the coaches throughout the day.
The Troup County Sprockets, the home team, put in excellent effort, played well together and displayed true team spirit. Paula Burgess and Patty Garland, the coaches of the team were extremely proud of their overall performance and sportsmanship attitudes.
Each of the first and second placed teams received large trophies, but every player from every team went home with an individual player award. The players were excited about receiving the awards but the real prizes were the smiles and laughter that was shared throughout the day.
Troup County Special Olympics is also a United Way Agency.
For information on how to be involved in this program and others you may contact Kuerzi by email at jjkuerzi@troupco.org, or by phone at 706-883-1670.
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