KLL draws curtain on baseball season
Closing and award presentation ceremony held
KUWAIT CITY, April 13: The Kuwait Little League (KLL) held a closing and award presentation ceremony Friday evening on the baseball fields at the Hunting and Equestrian Club to mark an official end to the 20122013 Baseball/Softball Season.
KLL’s safety officer Mercy Boujarwah officiating the ceremony, stated that the 2012/2013 season has been another momentous one with a string of successes and achievements, noting that under the leadership of Sheikh Dhari Al-Sabah, Chairman of the Hunting and Equestrian Club, KLL now has permanent fencing on all fields now furnished with Baseball scoreboards and flood lighting in all but the Minors and Challenger fields which will also have theirs in place soon in place courtesy generous support of the Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah.
KLL stands out as one of the best in the Gulf region in terms of facilities. In an effort to raise the quality of play, Tony Abbatine, a professional Baseball trainer in the United States, with his team of trainers in the Frozen Ropes was contracted to hold a skills camp for KLL players and coaches over the national holiday period in February/March.
As a sign that KLL is coming of age, the league now participates in tournaments in Qatar, Dubai as well as organizes their own tournament at home. While the league prepares to take a team to the Philippines to participate in a tournament in the coming days, it is also currently hosting two teams from the Cairo American College who are in Kuwait to play against the Juniors, Seniors and Softball teams of KLL. The latest improvement to the KLL facility, according to Mercy, is the provision of segregated airconditioned prayer rooms to cater for parents needs.
With players showing off their trophies, certificates and caps, teams from the T-Ball, Minors, Majors2, Majors, Juniors, Seniors and Softball were ushered into the field by their coaches applauded by parents and friends, but it was the challenger division that drew the most applause and a standing ovation from the huge crowd of parents and guests present as they filed into the field. The Challenger, a division that was recently formed to cater for the Baseball needs of mentally challenged children, stands out as a trailblazer in the Middle East and Africa region. The success of the Challenger project in the KLL has since made it a hot template for other Little Leagues in the area.
Little League players who would be leaving their colleagues to attend universities were asked to step forward to be recognized for all their dedication and efforts, as some of them had been playing since they were minors. Balqees Ali, Farah Behbehani, Alivvia Connor, Rawan Al-Thunayan, Princess Al-Ariss, Karim Dabliz, Mishari Drissi and Rashid Borisly were the players mentioned.
While the Al-Marzouq Family and Denise Bakery were mentioned as the newest of the numerous KLL sponsors, Arab Times along with Radio Kuwait 99.7FM also were mentioned for their positive contribution to the Kuwait Little League program. In order to get more girls into Softball, a contest was initiated for competitors to come out with a recruiting poster that will encourage more girls to join the KLL Softball division. Dalia Bourahmah’s poster was chosen for distribution among schools in Kuwait to encourage more girls to join the KLL. “Apart from the physical exercises which the girls definitely need, they could also be charting a path to a Softball carrier in future”, noted Mercy.
Dr Abdelazeez Boujarwah, KLL District Administrator, presented championship trophies to the winning teams in the various divisions as follows: Minors Division Champions: Rangers Majors2 Division Champions: Cardinals Majors Division Champions: Marlins Seniors Division Champions: Reds Softball Division Champions: Marlins & Red Sox Juniors Division Champions: Orioles The sponsors, who of course are the main engine that make the wheels of the entire program turn, include Agility Logistics, Selem General Trading Establishment, BioConservacion, NBK, Al-Tamimi, Police Eyewear, Noor Optical, Al-Atraf International Company, Denise Bakery, Mimar, MacDonald’s Kuwait, Warba Insurance, Kefan Optica, KEO International Consultants, ASAR, Elche Spa & Salon, Cuz Creationz, Bader Sultan & Bros, Gloria Jeans Coffees,
Steering the affairs of KLL are members of the board who include:
Dr Abdulazeez Boujarwah, District Administrator, Saud Al ayoub, President, Mrs Mercy Boujarwah, Safety officer, Mrs Susan Sakkez, Newsletter Editor, Mrs Denise Ellis, Equipment Manager and Mrs Mai Abdulfattah, Head Scorekeeper.
Formed in 1980 and charted with Little League International in Williamsport, Pennsylvania in the United States, the Kuwait Little League (KLL) is an all-volunteer effort with knowledgeable officials and coaches who are dedicated to making the child’s baseball experience great. Apart from the league’s participation in several international tournaments each year, every player receives a team jersey and cap to wear at games and at the end of the season, a trophy and team picture.