| Extended Sign-Up at Parks and Recreation Monday-Friday March 29-April 2nd or April 3rd at Winston Park Cost is $30 and includes: t-shirt, & hat Ages 4-21 Any Diagnosis Male or Female |
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| March 27th Evaluation Practice Winston Park 2-3pm |
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| April 3rd Team Practices Winston Park 2-3pm |
April 10th Team Practices Winston Park 2-3pm |
| April 17rd Team Practices Winston Park Time TBA |
April 24th Game Practice Canceled for Special Olympics at Lufkin HS |
| May 1st Game Winston Park 10-11 am |
May 8th Game Winston Park 10-11am |
| May 15th Game Winston Park 10-11 am |
May 22nd Game Winston Park 10-11am |
| May 29th Last Game Winston Park 10-11 am |
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| If you have any questions feel free to contact me at 639-9554 hm. Thanks! Deanna Ramsey |
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Hello everyone! As many of you may know, our fall season has been off to somewhat of a rocky start as our league has recently gone through a few changes. We now have a new League President and we just wanted to let everyone know that if you have any questions, to please contact Missy McCleskey at (936) 414-6648. Although things have been pretty rough as of late, we are pushing to improve things drastically. We are asking for your continued patience as we work through the kinks and pull our league back together. You may check under the “Teams” tag for coaches contact information or contact our new League President Missy McCleskey. We are looking forward to pulling all of our children back together and finishing this season with a BANG and also to playing many more seasons in our future with your children. With that said, the 10/10/09 scheduled game has officially been canceled due to the weather. We will keep everyone posted on any and all changes and you can also check on the posted schedule here on our website. We look forward to seeing everyone on the field on Saturday 10/17 @ 3PM. Everyone have a great weekend! Welcome back everyone, we hope that you all have had an awesome summer! It is almost time to begin our second season of East TX Special Needs Softball and we are really excited to have yet another great season! We are really hoping that all of our original players and their families will be joining us again as we start our fall season, and also we are looking forward to meeting any new-comers that may be joining us as well. So with that said, the following is the information about our Fall 2009 softball season! Hope to see you soon!! SPECIAL NEEDS SOFTBALL- Registration begins First we want to start by saying thanks to everyone for cheering us on and being so patient while we work out all of the kinks. We have had a great 1st season and are looking forward to many, many more. Our kids have really rocked and rolled this season and we are all so very proud of each and everyone of them. So with that said, here is the plan for our last game… Next Saturday, June 27th we have moved our last game with Astros vs. Rangers up to 8am. After the game we will be having our Closing Ceremony at Lufkin First Assembly where we will have a pizza party and slide show. At this time, all of our awesome players will receive their personalized trophies and medals from all of us to reward them for the WONDERFUL job that each of them have done this season. So, everyone pack up your cameras and your cheering voices and join all of us @ Winston Park next Saturday to finish out this season with a BIG BANG!! We look forward to seeing y’all there. See you soon! Lufkin First Assembly 2021 S John Redditt Dr
Sunday, June 07, 2009 Just a couple of weeks after launching its new league with an Opening Day ceremony, the East Texas Special Needs Softball League, along with several city officials, cut the ribbon on a brand-new ballpark designed especially for those kids. With Mayor Jack Gorden and Park Board Chairman Victor Bruce performing the honors, city officials, parents and players applauded the launching of the specially made field at Winston Park, an event Gorden described as collaboration between citizens and local government.
“This is a great example of what can happen when a government allows the community to guide it,” Gorden told the crowd. “Great things can happen, great things that serve our citizens and their specific needs. This is what happens when everyone works together for a common cause.” The new field features new dugouts, bleachers, fences and a manicured infield and outfield any major league park would be proud to own. On Saturday, it also sported youngsters from the Astros and Rangers excited about playing softball. Moments after Parks and Recreation Director Don Hannabas tossed out the first pitch to the Astros’ Skylar, players ran to their positions while others grabbed a bat. They didn’t even wait for the obligatory, “Play ball!” call from the parents. “Obviously there’s a tremendous need for this, and it’s one of those situations we just don’t see every day, so we tend not to think about it,” Gorden said. “Just today, I’m thinking Winston Park is one of our city’s facilities that just isn’t utilized to its fullest potential; we can expand this idea so that people throughout East Texas will be drawn here for other Special Needs events.” League president Deanna Ramsey lauded the city’s response to the kids’ needs, saying officials went far above and beyond the call. “This is wonderful. I’m speechless at the fact the city made this more than we ever dreamed,” Ramsey said. “We were just hoping for a backstop or something, but we held a meeting and they realized our kids have special circumstances, and they took those into account. They added the fence and dugouts with shade. It’s just fabulous.” The day has arrived! It’s time for us all to meet down at Winston Park this Saturday, June 6th @ 9AM for the official ETSNS Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and to watch our Astros and Rangers play ball on their BRAND NEW field! This is the day that we have all been waiting for, so please don’t miss out on this VERY SPECIAL event for our group of AWESOME kids! We are looking forward to seeing you there!
Saturday’s game between the Astros and the Rangers ended in a 10,000-10,000 tie. Those weren’t runs scored — they were smiles counted. A group of very unique young people hit the diamond at Kit McConnico Park in Lufkin for a softball game that was anything but typical. From a distance, it looked like any other game, with the blue Rangers and red Astros uniforms, and the regulation field complete with bases and home plate.
The East Texas Special Needs Softball League held its Opening Day Saturday, with youngsters from throughout the East Texas area participating in America’s pastime. These were kids who, because of their special circumstances, might not otherwise have the opportunity to participate in such a league. But because of the combined efforts of some very caring parents, including league president Deanna Ramsey, and the willing participants of Lufkin’s Parks and Recreation, those children hit, ran and fielded like the big leaguers — only with much more love and appreciation for the chance to play.
After whacking the ball off the tee, Jared ran to first, calling back to Lauren, “You owe me ten kisses!” No agent needed to negotiate that contract. “Jared has wanted to play baseball since he was tiny, when he watched his older brother playing t-ball,” his mother, Connie Monson, said. “Since then, that’s all he’s talked about: playing baseball, playing baseball. When he found out there would be two teams, the Rangers and the Astros, he threw his hands up and said, ‘I want to be an Astro!’ It’s his favorite team.” Josh, after scoring his first-ever run, celebrated as if his run had just won the seventh game of the World Series. Aubrie was so excited to hit that she carried her little pink bat down the first-base line with her — perhaps to hold as a donation to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Rangers’ Josh pushed his walker aside to make a sparkling play at third base. Dalton ripped a line drive off the tee then smiled so hard running the bases he couldn’t keep his helmet on straight. Hanna’s mom could hardly keep up with the little girl once she hit the third-base bag and headed home. Skylar’s high-energy level had him chasing balls all over the infield and outfield. First baseman Will made several catches covering the bag, showing off a throwing arm any major leaguer would covet. And it was hard to tell who had more fun running the bases, Bianca or her mother Daphne. There were parents, siblings and other family members along to help. Some assisted the players in squaring the ball on the tee and making the swing. Others accompanied their kids around the bases, while still others were there simply to offer high fives, fist bumps and other celebrations. The stands were packed. Had the park sold tickets, they would have classified the game as a sellout. Relatives and other well wishers served as adoring fans, applauding every play. “Seeing my son playing a game he loves brings tears to my eyes every time I see him out there,” Melissa McCleskey said. When organizing the league specifically for children with special needs, the coaches and sponsors ran ads in local newspapers and sent letters home to parents and Special Education teachers. So many kids showed up for tryouts, the parents split the players into two teams. They’ll play a regular schedule this summer that will include more games with each other, along with other teams from around the area. The kids don’t appear to care who they play. They’re on the field, nearly all of them for the very first time, and they’re playing the game just like any other kids in their age groups. When Saturday’s game ended, every player had hit, every player had scored. There were high fives and “Good games!” as the kids met for the post-game congratulatory handshake. Afterward, the parents held a picnic for their diamond heroes — after the hordes of media had subsided enough to allow the young players to retrieve hugs from family members. No paychecks. No endorsements from shoe companies. Just lots of hugs and smiles. “I like the game,” a beaming Jared said when he’d knocked all the dust off his cleats. “It’s just so much fun, and I love playing baseball.” Add yet another smile to the final score. |
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Copyright © 2010 East Texas Special Needs Softball League - All Rights Reserved - |
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But these Rangers didn’t carry the high-profile names of their professional namesakes; there was Josh, but it wasn’t Hamilton. No Ian Kinsler, but there were Aubrie, Hanna, William, JaQuincy and others. Instead of Berkman and Oswalt, these Astros had Skylar, Jared, Carrissa, Bianca and more. They had their first names on the back of their jerseys; no need for the last name, because everyone there knew each player by sight.
There was nine-year old Jared with his patented slide/roll into second base; this after his cousin, Lauren, promised him “ten kisses” if he got a hit.