Sean C. Morgan
The Sweet Home Softball Association is seeking help to build two new softball fields at Foster Elementary School, which would give local traveling teams a chance to host tournaments and provide more softball to the Sweet Home community.
Association President Shane Cochran is spearheading the project, said Karyn Hartsook, a member of the association.
The association currently has more than 45 local girls participating in competitive travel softball, Hartsook said. “The teams currently have to travel to other cities to compete. It sometimes creates hardships for their families and friends to come watch them in action.
“With the two new fields located at Foster Elementary School, along with the high school fields, we would be able to host tournaments.
“This will, in turn, bring many out-of-the-area teams to our community. These people will be spending time and money here.”
The association’s goal is to have the fields functional and able to host two tournaments by the spring 2016 season.
“We needed to put in two regulation fields in order to host a tournament,” Hartsook said.
“It’s something that needs to happen,” Cochran said. “The softball program is growing steadily. It’s just important for the viability of softball in Sweet Home.”
With the high school program in the mix, it includes 75 to 80 girls.
The project has a total budget of $14,000, Hartsook said. Local businesses have already contributed financially.
They include Direct Flooring, Skip and Michelle Marler; A&W, Josh and Patty Hankins; Sherri Gregory Realty; Burke Logging, Aaron and Amy Burke; and a friend of the association.
Others have donated time and resources to get the work started, including dump trucks and drivers, Roger Emmert, Jim Cota, Larry Lester, Phil Pollock, Danny Juza, Brent Graham, Doug Graham and Ron Staley. Knife River also has donated top dirt for the fields.
“They’ve (Jason Armstrong and Cochran) cut the fields,” Hartsook said. “They set the stakes for home plate.
“We had a work party to pick up the rocks, so we’ve had involvement from our kids.”
“It’s going really good,” Cochran said. The backstops will go in by the end of November, with temporary fencing set up during the season.
“The community has been very supportive, especially the people who have already donated,” Hartsook said. “Everybody has been excited about youth sports and female sports in general.”
The fields at Foster are used for T-ball, and they will remain available.
Anyone interested in helping or donating to the project should contact Cochran at (541) 409-1373 or Hartsook at (541) 990-0569.