Registration for High Plains Little League is just around the corner. Approaching year No. 3, the team is excited about the success they’ve already achieved, said Chris Howard, president of the league.”The community blessed us with their commitment to this league through donations and support,” Howard said. Among last year’s supporters was Falcon School District 49, who has supported the team from the beginning by allowing the league to use the district’s baseball fields, he said. “The baseball coaching staff at Falcon High School, led by head coach Dale Jackson, provided instruction on baseball fundamentals to our volunteer coaches,” Howard said.He also credited local businesses. “Lorne MacDonald and his staff at Falcon Physical Therapy helped put on a seminar for our coaching staff, which was tremendous,” Howard said. “Scott Carmack of State Farm Insurance organized the seminar with Falcon Physical Therapy and made a nice monetary sponsorship to this league. Farmer’s State Bank came on board as our biggest sponsor, and they handle our financial accounts as well.”Thanks to all their supporters, Howard said the number of players on the High Plains Little League team increased 51 percent last year, from 176 players to 265. They also added a team from Calhan and a team from Peyton, making the total player base close to 300. “This enrollment increase was much higher than we had predicted,” Howard said. “As a result, we are anticipating a large increase for this year as well. The larger enrollment affords us the opportunity to offer a higher level of competition to some of our more skilled players by introducing Triple A ball to the 9 to 12 age group.”As player numbers increase, so does the need for more volunteers. “Our volunteers have been the backbone of this program and one of the reasons for its success,” Howard said. “When you come to register your child on Jan. 27 or Feb. 3, please remember to bring your volunteer application.”Growth also creates a need for additional playing fields. “School District 49 has been great, allowing us to use their fields to run this program, but we will eventually run out of room,” he said. The league, which is a nonprofit organization under Little League Baseball Inc., is looking for someone to “step up to the plate” and sponsor them for the land they need, Howard said. “We need a patron saint to help fulfill our long-term vision of having our own fields.”If anyone is interested in helping this league reach its goal, call 494-1799 or send an e-mail to highplainspresident@msn.com.Registrations will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 27 and Feb. 3 at Woodmen Hills Recreation Center West. To download forms or find out more about the league, visit the Web site at www.highplainsll.com or call 719-494-1799.
