SHAWANO, WI- This weekend would have been the first of three straight weekends of tournament baseball and softball in Shawano.
COVID-19 concerns led to the City of Shawano and the Shawano Youth League to the decision to cancel all summer tournaments that they were scheduled to host.
Shawano Youth League President Tony Stuber says it is always a fun month in Shawano.
“A lot of local families come to watch and it is just a good time to come out and watch some baseball games.”
It is also a good opportunity for the Youth League to make money with team admissions and concession stands for 9 days. Stuber says even without that this year, financially, they are okay.
“We have gotten some good donations through the years so we are doing okay,” Stuber said. “We should be fine, we are a pretty strong organization.”
The tournament weekends are also big for downtown businesses as well as hotels and restaurants in the city.
For this year, the Shawano Youth League is having League play only. Kids of all ages take the fields for games twice a week. The season is condensed with fewer teams and a shortened season, but Stuber says what he is seeing is that the kids are happy to play baseball, even if the competition aspect has been reduced.
“The kids are having fun and for the most part, everyone has been healthy.”
He says one parent did test positive for COVID-19 since the league started this year, the kids in that family have pulled out of the league for the safety of the rest of the players, but the kids themselves did not test positive.
“Overall, it has been good and we are happy that we had the opportunity for kids to play and hope we can keep it going through the end of July. We all obviously are missing some opportunities and it is good for the kids to get to see each other again.”
Stuber says even with a shortened season, there is a lot that the kids can get out of it.
“Learning some new skills and getting better is all we can hope for.”
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