Alvernia Crusaders Athletics

Reading, Pa. (Nov. 11, 2008) - Throughout the month of October, the Alvernia University Baseball Team spent most Wednesday afternoons in the city of Reading working with boys and girls from Lauer’s Park Elementary School. Approximately 15 members of the AU baseball team traveled to Lauer’s Park on Wednesdays to work with 27 boys and girls ranging in age from 3rd through 5th grade.

For five weeks, the players worked with the kids on the fundamentals of baseball; they taught them good form for throwing, the correct way to catch, and also the proper way to swing a bat. “We played wiffleball with them and they took some batting practice with real baseballs after that. It was so fun just to see them so happy,” said sophomore Tim Ahlquist.

“The kids had varying levels of ability in terms of baseball. Some were being introduced to the game for the first time, and some had played organized baseball before,” said assistant coach for the Crusaders, Tom Minick. “For the first hour and a half, we worked on mechanics. Then, we were able to have a little fun and play some games with kids.”

Aside from teaching the Lauer’s Park children the actual game of baseball, the players stressed the importance of doing well in school. They told them that they can be excellent athletes, but if they do not do well in school, they will not even be able to play on a team. Along with the idea of doing well in school, the Alvernia players discussed going to college. They told the Lauer’s Park kids about the possibilities that college offers, academically and athletically. The team spoke to the children about what it is like to be a college athlete, and the kids were totally captivated and loved every minute of it.

The final session in October was one in which the players brought the Lauer’s Park kids to campus. The players gave them a tour and showed them what a college campus looked like. They showed the kids where they may go to class and play someday. Ahlquist recalls, “They had so many questions. It was like they just could not get enough of a college campus; they were really absorbing everything we had to offer. One kid even asked to see a science lab, and he was so thrilled to actually be able to go inside the lab and see what it looked like.”

It was an excellent opportunity for both the Lauer’s Park students and the Alvernia Baseball Team. It was fun for the kids to have college athletes come in and play and talk with them, and it was exciting for the Alvernia players to be mentors for these children. “Most importantly,” added Minick, “it was a nice to be able to provide these kids with a positive after-school activity.”

Alvernia senior, Eric Focht, was one of the players involved in the service project. He has commented on the experience, “Seeing how the kids opened up to us made the whole experience worthwhile. I could tell that the kids mostly just liked being able to run around with us, even if baseball was not involved.”

But the friendship and camaraderie is not over yet! Stay tuned for the follow-up meeting between these two groups in April. The Lauer’s Park group is looking forward to coming back to campus for a baseball game and being able to see the Crusaders in action!