This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
10/15/2024 11:10 AMThere have been several sports that have gained popularity among the state of Connecticut recently, with pickleball being just one that comes to mind. For Garrett Dell and Trevor Fleck, they are changing the lives of many children in the Guilford youth community through their love and passion for a different unique sport in wiffleball.
The Guilford High School juniors both have a baseball background and became interested in wiffleball when Fleck purchased equipment for a field in his yard. Using that passion, the boys wanted to project the skills they’ve gained to the youth, hoping to gain more interest after a church-based project opened the door for them.
“We had a good time playing games with other kids our age during that summer. We started this clinic because Trevor and I were involved with religious education at St. George,” said Dell. “We needed a service project in order to make our confirmation; it turned out to be a really good idea and something we really enjoyed.”
The two boys run the clinic five weeks at a time, one day per week, and have been doing it for the past two years. They are currently in their fifth overall season with the sessions, and they have been volunteering every fall and spring since October 2022.
“We both grew up loving baseball and thought a wiffleball clinic would be a fun way to show our passion for baseball with younger kids,” said Fleck. “We have also played baseball for years, and we want to make our skills accessible for younger kids.”
When the clinic takes place can vary between Tuesdays and Thursdays, as the boys travel to both of their former elementary schools, Guilford Lakes for Fleck and Melissa Jones for Dell, during the week. With it being held at elementary schools, Dell and Fleck have primarily included third and fourth graders, however, they recently opened it up to second graders too because it was gaining popularity. Each week presents a new skillset for the kids to learn, and Dell and Fleck make sure to acknowledge and reward them for their efforts.
“To start, we always do a small warmup (either running around or stretching). After this, we do our skill activity, and every week we rotate the skill they will learn,” Dell said. ”We do fielding, pitching, hitting, home run challenge, and the last week is our championship game, but after every week’s skill activity, there is a small scrimmage, and finally at the end of every week, Trevor and I announce an MVP for the week.”
When Fleck and Dell are choosing the MVP, they not only pick the student that has performed the best, but also someone who was an outstanding teammate that week. Additionally, they try to sprinkle in some incentive for the kids to perform well, creating a fun but competitive atmosphere.
“Most of the time, it is for fun because we want the students to have a good time, but our last two sessions get competitive,” said Dell. “The second to last is the home run challenge, and whatever student wins that gets to pick who they want on their team for the championships, and the last session, the championship game, is the most competitive.”
By adding competition into the sessions, it keeps the kids engaged and wanting more throughout the duration of it. It also instills that competitive fire into them that they will all need in order to be serious athletes as they get older.
Fleck and Dell are currently both under 18 and are still learning how to be the best leaders they can be, but one of the biggest reasons that they have been so successful thus far is the support that they have gotten from their parents, whether it’s as a support system, a supervising adult, or a chauffeur.
“None of it would be possible without our parents: my mom (Laura), and Trevor’s mom (Therese), and Trevor’s Dad (Steve). They encouraged us to commit to this project,” said Dell. “We are under 18 and need a parent every week to come in with us. Our parents help with driving us to whatever school we need to go to.”
With the program really taking off over the last few years and gaining more and more popularity, it has sometimes been difficult for Dell and Fleck to manage it, simply due to the sheer volume of kids that attend.
“Our biggest challenge is managing the number of kids who want to participate. We are working on balancing the numbers,” said Fleck. “Also, teaching everyone while keeping it fun at the same time. Another challenge is sometimes the kids get a little too amped up, however, other than that, they are good.”
There is no official title for the wiffleball clinic, and there is also no contact number, as the boys run it through different elementary schools. While Dell and Fleck enjoy helping the kids to truly hone their skills as wiffleball players, they also find fulfillment in seeing the individual growth of each athlete, and the joy on their faces when they succeed in their craft.
“In Connecticut, there are not a lot of specific leagues, but like Trevor and I did, we encourage kids to go out and play in their backyard or wherever is a good place,” Dell said. “The thing we enjoy the most is teaching the kids the skills, or having them make an adjustment during the game. They start to succeed after we teach them that skill. It is extremely satisfying to see them excited and happy after we teach them a new skill.”