Recreational youth sports leagues are an essential part of any town, no matter the population. They are not only the feeder programs for junior high and high school teams, but also play a key role in the healthiness of the town’s youngest generation.

From time to time we’re called up to volunteer, in some capacity or another, by the club. Last weekend one of the moms from my son’s team was on field marshal duty (the task involves retrieving balls that make their way over the super high fence and into the woods, reporting scores, keeping the crowd under control - a topic for a future blog- and wearing a beautiful vest that is the mark of authority!!!). A ball took flight over the fence and landed in the pond next to the field… there was no stick long enough to retrieve the ball, so our brave and dedicated volunteer had no choice but to tough it out and make her way across the thin ice. Well… I think its obvious what happened.