City of St. Louis to Host Youth Softball Camp and Exhibition Celebrity Softball Games As Part of Major League Baseball’s “Play Ball” Initiative

Let’s Move! STL will host St. Louis area youth at a softball camp as part of the “Play Ball” initiative.

August 21, 2015 | 2 min reading time

This article is 9 years old. It was published on August 21, 2015.

UPDATE: Due to weather, this event has been cancelled.

Let’s Move! STL will host St. Louis area youth at a softball camp as part of the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) support of Major League Baseball’s “Play Ball” initiative, which focuses on the fun nature of baseball and encourages widespread participation in related activities. During the month of August 2015, or “Play Ball Month,” mayors are implementing the initiative throughout cities with the goal of strengthening the connection between communities and the National Pastime.

On Saturday, August 22, 2015, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on baseball field #2 in Forest Park, there will be a baseball camp for young people, 5 to 16 years of age. Coaches from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and Celebrity All-Star Softball teams will conduct the camp. The camp is part of the city’s Let’s Move! STL initiative with encourages all individuals regardless of age to be more active and eat healthier.

Youth who participate in the camp will have an opportunity to see the fundamentals they learn on display during three exhibitions softball games following the camp. The first game will be between two youth teams. Adults will join in the fun after the youth game when Police take on Team UCME, a local celebrity softball team. The evening will conclude with a celebrity All-Star game. Softballs players selected from teams throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area will be competing for bragging rights.

Mayors across the country are hosting similar activities to engage citizens, families, and city departments to organize individual and community events (such as playing catch, running bases in the backyard, family gatherings, park and recreation activities, business-supported activities, etc.). These activities will be focused on strengthening bonds between families and communities through baseball-related activities.

“Our free Play Ball instructional camp is a grassroots participation event for young people outside the traditional organized league and tournament experience,” said Health Director Melba Moore. "This community-wide activity is another effort to help meet Mayor Francis Slay’s Sustainability Action Agenda goal of reducing obesity by 5% in the city by 2018. The collaboration between the health and police departments, area softball teams, and others to make this event happen is an example of the type of partnerships that are needed to reduce obesity and increase healthy lifestyles in St. Louis.”

This component of the Play Ball initiative focuses on recruiting a minimum of one city in as many of the 50 states as possible to promote and support “Play Ball Month” through baseball related activities. Primary targets are cities with Major League and Minor League Baseball clubs, although the initiative toolkit and self-reporting strategy will be electronically distributed to hundreds of cities across the country, with the assistance of Major League Baseball.

Local leaders and citizens are reporting their activities to PlayBall.org via usmayors.org. PlayBall.org serves as the initiative’s online home and is accessible via MLB.com, USABaseball.com and other partner websites. Coaching tips and video demonstrations are a prominent component of the site. PlayBall.org also provides parents, coaches and kids with information on how to get involved with Play Ball activities, links to youth-related news and events, and searchable maps with links on how to join community baseball leagues. Health and safety information, including the Pitch Smart initiative, also will be available.

For more information contact Harold Bailey at (314) 657-1568 or baileyh@stlouis-mo.gov.

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  • Department:
    Department of Health
  • Topic:
    Health

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