Baseball program to showcase talent

By STEVEN G. WATSON

Sports Editor

Not many things in this life are free. The chance to prove that you are the best, however, won’t cost you a penny.

Troy Park and Recreation is putting on a Diamond Skills clinic that was started by Major League Baseball in an attempt to showcase local talent and give children a chance to compete regionally and even nationally.

Assistant Director of Troy P&R Vaughn Daniels is in charge of the program and likes to see it as a "punt, pass and kick competition," but only in baseball.

"This will be the first year we offer Diamond Skills," Daniels said about the competition. "Dothan and some of the other cities have offered it the past two or three years. They had a couple of guys from Dothan to win the state and advance to nationals.

"This is sponsored through the Alabama Recreation and Parks Association," he continued. "We’re just going to try it this year to see how successful it is."

The competition is open for all players, girls and boys, ages 7-14. They must fill out a registration form that can be picked up at the Troy Park and Rec office and provide a copy of a valid Birth Certificate. Again, there is no charge for the competition.

Participants will be showcasing their skills in batting, fielding, throwing and base running. A wide variety of events will be set up to measure the different scores by different players.

There are four levels of competition with the meet on May 8 being the Local Level. There are Sectional meets, a Team Championship and the National Finals beyond the Local Level for those advancing.

The National Finals will be held at the 2000 All-Star Game in Atlanta . The top 16 youngsters will compete for the National Championship during All-Star week.

All those interested should go by the Troy Park and Rec office for a registration form. Daniels is also looking for volunteers to help judge and measure the competition. It will be held on Frazier field at CHHS at 6 p.m. Monday.