PRESS RELEASE – 2024 Summer PONY Youth Baseball Skills and Games Academy just completed its 9th summer academy pacing 8–12-year-old through 5-days of intense but fun on-the field baseball activities. The academy was conducted at the newly renovated JJJ Guam Baseball Academy Youth Field located on the Okkodo High School Campus.
The academy program is about baseball fundamentals and skills development. The Academy is designed to educate and drill players on the skills needed to play diamond sports. Coaches demonstrated specific body movements needed to play various positions on the field. Players were challenged on the field during the activity through their efforts on how to use their feet and hands to their best ability to compete against the baseball.
“This year’s baseball academy had a broad mix of young athletes from 8-year-old beginners to 12-year-old seasoned ball players. 36-players attended the academy participating in various stunts and drills. The most popular session in the academy was the how-to-learn body sliding into a base by using the water slip and slide. Kids getting wet and having fun, even staying late to slip and slide their day away”; comments Jurel Bennett academy instructor.
“I attended all 5-days of the academy and was amazed at the amount of baseball activity my two sons were exposed too. The instructors are very well versed on teaching baseball and their patience to work with young children. My two sons had so much fun and learned many new things about how to train and get better playing baseball. The water slide was a big hit”; says Jenifer Mendiola mother of an 9- and 12-year-old.
The academy concluded with an afternoon certificate ceremony at Papa John’s in Dededo, 36-players and their family devouring 30-pizzas. Each academy player received academy team shirt, baseball cap, academy medal, certificate of completion and plenty of Pizza.
For more information regarding the Guam Baseball Academy events can make their questions to Bill Bennett at gba@guambaseball.com. Future PONY and GBA activities can be found at Facebook: amateurbaseballguam.
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