Each Little League season, community members sponsor teams so that children are able to play ball. During a recent game, representatives from one sponsor came out to support their team of youngsters.
North Shore Towers (NST), a cooperative in Floral Park, is sponsoring the Chicago Cubs, a team of 7 and 8 year olds that is part of the Jamaica Estates-Holliswood-Briarwood Little League. Members of the Towers community got to see the team play when they attended the May 23 game.
“It was great seeing North Shore Towers printed on the uniforms of our own Little League team,” said NST Board of Directors President Bob Ricken.
NST resident Larry Lansner, who came up with the idea of sponsoring a team as part of the co-op’s Marketing Committee efforts, was also at the game and said it was very good to see the team. A former Little League coach himself, Lansner said these teams give kids a chance to learn teamwork.
Roxanne Elliott’s twin 8-year-old sons, Spencer and Pierce, are playing Little League for the first time this year. She said that they love playing and have a lot of team spirit when it comes to being members of the Chicago Cubs.
“I love watching them play,” she said. “They have truly found their sport.”
Elliott also said that Little League teams give families a chance to spend time in the parks together while getting kids active.
“Without sponsors, we wouldn’t have these baseball teams in the community,” she said.
Team members Rocky Persaud and Julian Ledesma, both 7, said “thank you” to their sponsors. They also said their favorite baseball team was definitely their own.
The team’s coach, Andres Ledesma, said that he measures the players’ success in the way they have all shown improvement since the season began. He also said that he is instilling in his players that winning is fun, but teamwork is more important.
Ledesma said that the parents have been very involved this season. Team manager Gautam Persaud also noted that everyone has been having fun.
“My hope is that each player improves,” Ledesma said of the remainder of the season. “Every game is a new experience for these kids.”
NST Marketing Committee temporary chair Shelley Sander said that she was “thrilled” that they were sponsoring a Little League team.
“We had an amazing time at the game today watching the kids not only having fun playing baseball but learning so much at the same time – like teamwork, good sportsmanship and how to follow rules,” she said. “I was honored to have been presented with the game ball.”
