On Feb. 20, 21 girls took part in something new to the softball world, the world's first Gummy Games Softball Camp at the Sidney High School gym.
Softball coach Terry Roth said in his Jan. 5 blog post, on his website, http://www.urastarsports.com, "a ballplayer struggles with simple things in games and practices, the more complex things like game situation and focus become even more difficult. As a coach, I see the struggles all the way up to the high school level. What has come to my realization is there needs to be a better way to practice the basic skills."
He decided to take it upon himself to develop a way for young ballplayers to practice the basic skills needed in baseball or softball on their own or while attending camps. He came up with Gummy Games Softball Camps.
The girls that attended were each given Softball Gummy Games booklets. After an introduction and explanation of how to play it, they were asked to start the first game. It was a simple toss and catch game for individuals to improve hand-eye coordination and focus. The second game involved throwing the ball against a wall. The third game required a little more action from the girls and involved them protecting an area from balls rolled at them by the coaches. The fourth game required the girls to join up into two teams and toss the ball back and forth to each other. Their scores were kept in the booklets with stickers. At the end of the games, gummy bear bags were handed out and the participants were allowed to eat one gummy bear for each sticker they had and were instructed to continue to do the games in the booklet if they wanted to eat the rest. They needed it as the next day, Feb. 21, Sidney Summer Softball signups for girls aged 5-18 started and will continue through March.
Roth said in his post "My mission is to help young ballplayers gain self-confidence so that they will continue playing the great sports of softball and baseball. That will also be the goal for the Gummy Games booklets and Camps." While the first camp was indoors, Coach Roth is planning to hold outdoor camps starting in May.
Coach Roth had a lot of help in making this camp a reality. He wanted to express his appreciation to Julio Lopez for taking pictures and helping with organization, Jozi Moore for also taking pictures and helping to coach, Travis Rosaaen for helping to coach, Allison Thiel, Amyia Steinbeisser, Keira Rains, and Jayla Huft for assisting and handing out stickers. He also wanted to thank the local Reynolds Market and Builders FirstSource for their donations, as well as, Maria Neff with Sidney Public Schools for the use of their high school gym.
He also wanted to add, "Thank you all for helping make the first ever Gummy Game Softball Camp a huge success! If anyone (business or individual) would like to become a sponsor for a camp please let me know! Check out my website for more information about me, some awesome softball stuff, and Gummy Game Softball Camps at urastarsports.com. Terry Roth, cell 406-489-3285; email, [email protected]."
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