Quickball is coming.
The Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation is using a derivative of baseball and softball that can be played indoors and outdoors to reach out to Baltimore City sixth- and seventh-graders.
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Starting this week, the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation, in conjunction with Baltimore City Public Schools, the BOOST Providers after-school program, the Safe and Sound Campaign, and the North Bay Educational Center will introduce a Character, Athletics & Leadership (C.A.L.) Quickball program.
The program will be piloted with 120 students at Dunbar Middle, Diggs Johnson Middle, Garrison Middle and New Song Academy. Quickball is a fast-paced game invented in the late 1990s by former minor leaguers Chris and Keith Mackie, who wanted to practice baseball in the backyard.
“It engages kids regardless of their skill level,” said Lynn Bopp, the director of grants and programs for the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation. “It is success-driven, it is inclusive, it is fast-paced and it provides a platform to teach character education and leadership skills.”
For three weeks in the fall, 30 sixth- and seventh-graders at each of the four middle schools will learn and play the game for two hours a day, two days a week. At the end of the fall session, all the children in the program will go to the Ripken Youth Baseball Academy in Aberdeen for a competitive tournament.
The spring session begins in February and ends with a weekend at the North Bay Educational Center in Cecil County that will incorporate baseball and softball with character-building.
“It gives them another type of recreation,” said Diggs Johnson principal Camille Smith. “It helps them build self esteem, and they learn how to exchange sportsmanship and team skills and work with each other and share differences and likeness.”
The plan is to launch the program at the four schools and possibly expand in the future based on the success of this year?s pilot.
New Song principal Susan Tibbles said she thinks the program will appeal to kids at her school.
“For our kids who are in an urban context, there is not a lot of space or organized activities in the community,” Tibbles said. “It is something new and fast. It is a real appeal for our kids. It develops their skills and uses their energy in a positive way.”
TIME FOR QUICKBALL
» Quickball is a game similar to wiffleball ? able to be played indoors and outdoors. The biggest difference is the truer and straighter flight of the Quickball compared to a wiffleball.
» The Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation donated all the necessary equipment to the four City middle schools involved. Each set cost approximately $1,000.
» The tournament concluding with the fall Quickball session will be held Saturday, Oct. 28, at Cal Sr.?s Yard in Aberdeen.
