St. Mary's New Outdoor Adventure Program Bayrunners Fair
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The County Times Thursday, July 05, 2007 Just Us St. Mary’s New Outdoor Adventure Program By Andrew Knowlton ture Group that meets twice every week at Green- Programs at Greenwell State Park. The program is Softball Staff Writer well State Park in Hollywood. loosely based on the buddy system, Farrar said. The new program, which had its very first ses- “The sessions are very loosely structured,” Summer just got a lot more exciting for out- sion June 19, offers a wide array of outdoor activi- Farrar said. “The main point of most of the ac- Still door enthusiasts as the Greenwell Foundation now ties for able-bodied and disabled people, accord- offers a free program called the Outdoor Adven- ing to Ellyn Mary Farrar, Director of Community See Outdoor Adventure Program page B-2 Undefeated By Andrew Knowlton Staff Writer With a 16-10 win over the Rook- ies Monday night at Chancellor’s Run Park, the Just Us Softball team improved to 10-0 in the St. Mary’s County Women’s Softball League. The Rookies took a 2-0 lead ear- ly in the game as Just Us struggled to get their bats going, hitting into three pop ups in the first and going three up, three down in the second. In the top of the third inning, See Just Us Undefeated page B-3 Photos By Andrew Knowlton The Outdoor Adventure Group meets Tuesday’s and Sundays at Greenwell State Park. The park, which is located along the lower Patuxent River, includes 650 acres of land, two miles of public access shoreline, 10 miles of trails and has other programs, including an equestrian program and Camp Greenwell for children. Bayrunners Fair Well at State Tourney By Andrew Knowlton wake up call,” said Bayrunner manager Bill Wood. Staff Writer The Bayrunners lost their first game 18-3, but showed signs of improve- Photo By Andrew Knowlton ment as the game went on, according to Wood. “One good sign out of this Robin Pettit of Just Us Softball waits for Although the St. Mary’s Bayrunners were the youngest team in the “A” game was that our hitting seemed to get better as the game progressed,” her pitch in Monday night’s win over the Rookies. Pettit connected for a triple and Bracket of last weekend’s State Tournament, they still managed a strong Wood said. an RBI single in the fourth inning. showing, winning two games and losing two at Rockburn Branch Park in The second game came with more success for the Bayrunners, as they Elkridge. piled up seven runs in the first inning against Glade Valley. Seven consecu- With eight eight-year olds and seven seven year-olds, the Bayrunners of tive batters reached first base and eventually scored. St. Mary’s added eight the St. Mary’s Babe Ruth Baseball League were able to hang with the best 8 more runs before the game was over and won by a final of 15-3. Ten differ- The and Under teams in the state. ent Bayrunners scored in the game. They were led by Ryan Kennedy, who The Bayrunners struggled in their first game against the Upper Mont- had three hits, including a double and a three run homerun in the third in- gomery Athletic Club (UMAC), the team that eventually went on to win the ning. Jake Wood also had a strong performance, scoring three runs for the division and was the only team out of ten in the bracket to advance. “UMAC Bayrunners. Great was playing in their 10th tournament of the season and had a team comprised Debate: entirely of eight-year olds. Our kids seemed a little nervous and had a quick See State Tourney page B-3 Wood vs. Metal By Andrew Knowlton Staff Writer In the 1970’s, bats made out of metal were introduced in base- ball and softball. Metal bats were originally used because of their af- fordability. Today, it’s their durabil- ity that is the main advantage, as some metal bats can go for almost $ 300. But for hitters, it’s more about power than durability. Metal bats are hollow and the barrel of the bat can be wider, giving the hitter more power. But how much power is too much power? Metal bats have been blamed for serious injuries and even the death of a youth league baseball player in Montana. In St. Mary’s County, some softball leagues have switched to wood for safety reasons, but in many leagues, where players can choose between wood or metal, the bat of choice always seems to make that clink sound, while the crack of the wooden bat is nowhere to be heard. The wood vs. metal issue for players is a classic case of Catch 22, according to Cory Hayden, a for- mer pitcher on the St. Mary’s Ryken baseball team who has experience playing with both wooden and metal bats. “It’s hard to say which is bet- ter,” he said. “When you’re in the field, you’d much rather have the other team hitting with wood so the ball won’t come at you as fast and it’s easier to field, but when you’re at bat, you obviously want to hit as hard or as far as you can and it’s easier to do that with a metal bat.” In Maryland high school base- ball and in little league, it is up to Photo By Andrew Knowlton the batter whether they want to use Bayrunner Jake Pilkerton makes a throw in a practice last week. Every Bayrunner reached base at least once in the State Tournament this weekend. See Bat Issue page B-3 The Section B - County Times Thursday, July 05, 007 Sports The Outdoor Adven- 10 miles of trails. There are Another important focus ture Group, which is funded other programs at Greenwell, of the group is in building Outdoor by United Way, welcomes including an equestrian pro- friendships. “We meet here, anyone between the ages of gram and Camp Greenwell we introduce ourselves and 17-25. According to Farrar, for children. get to know each other,” Far- Adventure this makes it the only group Farrar says many people rar said. “We have what we around that caters to that spe- don’t know about Greenwell call an icebreaker activity. To- Program cific age group. Young adults State Park or know that it is night for example, we’re going Continued from page B-1 can participate in many dif- fully accessible to anyone to pick an object out of a bag ferent programs while they with disabilities, so one of the and share with the group what tivities at Greenwell is for are in school, but as soon as main focuses of the group is that object means to them and people to have fun at the park school ends, these programs to use the park as a resource. how they can relate it to their and enjoy its resources. So we are often no longer available “This program is more of lives.” don’t have a strict schedule. to them. The Outdoor Adven- an opportunity to explore, for From there, the group It’s more like ‘come on out, ture Program provides a con- example, if we go on a nature heads out for the day’s activ- we’ll throw around a Frisbee, tinuum for these young adults, walk, we might bring binocu- ity, which can include movies, go for a walk on the beach, according to Farrar. lars and look for blue herons barbeques, kayaking, fish- have some pizza’… It’s not a Greenwell State Park, or snakes or other wildlife,” ing, hiking, beachcombing regimented thing. We may do which is located along the Farrar said. “Our overall goal or games. “The idea is not so some kayaking, beachcomb- lower Patuxent River, includes is not one of strict education much to have a camp setting, ing, maybe some archery 650 acres of land, two miles but more of enjoyment of the but for them to get to know down the line.” of public access shoreline, park and its resources.” each other, and our hope is that Photo By Andrew Knowlton The Outdoor Adventure Group offers activities that include movies, bar- beques, kayaking, fishing, hiking and beachcombing. after a while they will decide into having an adult group and determine what activities that would provide the same they want to do,” Farrar said. opportunities. So it may be in Farrar leads each session the works to start an adult pro- along with three volunteers gram sometime in the future,” from the Maryland Conserva- Farrar said. tion Corp. “We have a good The Outdoor Adventure volunteer base for the foun- Group meets Tuesdays from dation in general. They are 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. and on helpful in a lot of way in the Sundays from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. park, not just this program,” “We hope people will she said. come out and take advantage Though the group is tak- of what we have to offer,” Far- ing time to grow, Farrar would rar said. “We hope friendships like to see a core group of at build.” least a dozen young adults and would be happy to accommo- For more information, date more if more came, she call 301-373-9775. An RSVP said. up to the day before each Photo By Andrew Knowlton “If the program meets event is requested. “We hope people will come out and take advantage of what we have to offer.