Smiles of summer found in youth sports

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  • A player prepares to throw the ball during a Kingston Youth Association T-ball game on May 21. Matt Caban • The Madill Record
    A player prepares to throw the ball during a Kingston Youth Association T-ball game on May 21. Matt Caban • The Madill Record
  • Smiles of summer found in youth sports
    Smiles of summer found in youth sports
  • Smiles of summer found in youth sports
    Smiles of summer found in youth sports
  • Smiles of summer found in youth sports
    Smiles of summer found in youth sports
  • Smiles of summer found in youth sports
    Smiles of summer found in youth sports
  • Smiles of summer found in youth sports
    Smiles of summer found in youth sports
  • Smiles of summer found in youth sports
    Smiles of summer found in youth sports
  • Photos by Matt Caban • The Madill Record
    Photos by Matt Caban • The Madill Record
  • Smiles of summer found in youth sports
    Smiles of summer found in youth sports
  • Smiles of summer found in youth sports
    Smiles of summer found in youth sports
  • Smiles of summer found in youth sports
    Smiles of summer found in youth sports
  • Smiles of summer found in youth sports
    Smiles of summer found in youth sports
  • Smiles of summer found in youth sports
    Smiles of summer found in youth sports
  • Smiles of summer found in youth sports
    Smiles of summer found in youth sports
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There are probably two athletic fields in Marshall County where the rivalry between Kingston and Madill is nonexistent.

The T-ball and softball fields of the Kingston Youth Association (KYA) are situated behind Tycoon Motorsports on Highway 70 in Kingston.

Instead of Wildcat and Redskin, there are children as young as three years old hitting off a tee and parents cheering each other’s children on.

And while the league is based in Kingston, its players and coaches hail from across the county.

KYA president Victor Seeley explained how both towns came together for summer youth sports.

“Actually, what we did a few years ago; probably about four years ago, we opened it up to the entire county to include Madill to try and get everyone playing sports,” Seeley said. “The churches used to run baseball in Madill, and they stopped. So, we offered for them to play with us.”

Seeley said some Madill parents tried to put a softball league together this year, but the numbers were not quite there.

“We started playing games in Madill and Kingston,” he said.

Seeley said there are roughly 350 kids participating in either T-ball or softball this summer. He added that they are spread out across 24 teams.

The leagues are kid-pitch softball, machine-pitch baseball, progressive T-ball and T-ball.

Seeeley said progressive T-ball is the step between T-ball and machine pitch.

“It’s where the coach will pitch three pitches to ‘em and if they miss those, they can hit off the tee,” he said. “It’s to get them ready for machine pitch.” Seely said KYA developed a

Seely said KYA developed a few social distancing protocols for this season. These include extended dugouts with temporary fencing, hand sanitizer in each dugout and no post-game high fives.

“Everyone’s been going along with it,” he said. “We haven’t had too much difficulty with it. The biggest challenge has been getting hand sanitizer for the players to play.”

Seeley said both coaches and parents have stepped up to communicate “All our coaches and par

“All our coaches and parents, they help out so much. I can tell them what needs to be pushed out to all the parents and they take care of that.”

At the softball field Kingston resident Alisha Bridgeman was able to get off work early May 21 to see her daughter Emma play. “She’s the shortstop out there,” Bridgeman said.

Bridgeman said her daughter and son know the rules of staying safe during the pandemic.

“I’m a nurse and actually take care of COVID patients in the ER so I had tons of hand sanitizer ready,” she said.

Bridgeman said waiting for games to start was trying for players.

“The delay on the starting was probably the hardest on the kids,” she said, “They were supposed to start in April when everything hit with the pandemic. The anticipation and not knowing if they were going to get to play so they were really excited.”

She called sports an outlet.

“And they needed to get outdoors,” Bridgeman said. “They need to get some sunlight and fresh air. It’s good for them. I’m glad they let us do it.”

Two T-ballers, Max and Gavin Buckelew, could hardly contain their excitement following their game. The brothers, ages five and three respectively, and their mom, Chelsea, did a joint interview for this article.

When asked about their favorite part of T-ball, both brothers said hitting the ball and running after it.

Eventually, both boys began giggling and playing while mom spoke a little bit.

Chelsea Buckelew said it is the pair’s first year of T-ball.

“This is their first time trying to play some kind of organized sport so it’s a learning experience,” she said.