Randy Smith
Very few times in my life have I ever gotten to spend more than one week at the beach. However, 2021 is a big exception. Being the loyal grandparents we are, Shelia and I have accompanied our oldest grandson and his baseball team to Melbourne, Fl., for the USSSA Elite World Series. This is not an invitational tournament. It's one that each team must qualify for by winning at least one USSSA qualifying tournament during the season. The invite was secured last fall by the 11U Exposure Prime.
Before the tournament, we booked a week in Ponce Inlet, Fl., which is our favorite place to go to the beach.
Two whole weeks at the beach, plus being with family, friends and watching baseball. It doesn't get any better than that. Of course when our youngest grandson's Dizzy Dean tournament ran through last Tuesday, we had to cut short our trip to Ponce Inlet so we could watch his team play for a state championship. After the game on Tuesday, we loaded up both grandsons and headed for Ponce Inlet, where we spent three days before packing up and moving beach locations about a hundred miles to the south in Satellite Beach.
The boys had a couple of days to spend playing in the sand and surf before a late Monday practice and an early Tuesday morning game at the Space Coast Baseball complex. And boy did they ever have a great time. They played Wiffle ball on the beach, played spike ball and corn-hole as well as rode waves in the surf on boogie boards for hours, then spent time in the pool. Needless to say when bed time came, there was no argument. They were asleep before their heads hit the pillow.
Of course this week we have had to follow closely the track that Hurricane Elsa is taking toward Florida. As of Monday, it was expected to stay well west of Melbourne which means we will be on the "dirty" side of the storm. I have no idea what that means, but we can expect some heavy rain and high winds on Tuesday and Wednesday. Every single field at the Space Coast complex has an artificial turf playing surface, so while there may be a delay or two, there will be no cancellations.
While this week is special for us grandparents, it's more than just special for the boys. It brings about a chance for togetherness and building relationships as teammates. Being together and working for a common goal on the field of play is a valuable life lesson that you can't find just anywhere. It doesn't matter if you don't win a championship, and it really doesn't matter if you fail to win a single game. What matters is the effort they give and the chance to do their best against top-notch competition. It's a great way to end what has been a pretty successful season. Boys, have fun and let's play ball!
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Randy Smith can be reached at rsmithsports@epbfi.com