Courtesy of Kyle Snowden- Athletics Intern
Boston, MA- Recently the Fisher College baseball team partnered with The Roberto Clemente Foundation, The Boston Red Sox Foundation and the Boston Athletic Academy to put together the first ever Roberto Clemente Cup in the United States. Fisher College, State University of New York-Canton, University of Maine-Presque Isle, and Northern Vermont University-Lyndon all participated in the two-day tournament, with the Falcons taking home the Championship at Fraser Field. Before the teams went to battle though, the team, along with recruits from Puerto Rico put on a free baseball clinic for local youth at Manning Field in Lynn, MA, as a way to give back to their local communities. Members of the Clemente Foundation, including Roberto Clemente's son, Luis Clemente, and former Red Sox pitcher Manny Delcarmen were there as well to assist with the various drills put on by the team and sign autographs after the event.
The Falcons had a great time with the approximate 30 kids that braved the cold and windy day. The cold did not stop the kids from having smiles on their faces and enjoying their interactions with the players while participating in all of the different drills. Fisher players assisted the kids with hitting, fielding, and agility drills to further their knowledge of the game. The kids were able to ask questions, and get tips from the players who were once in their same position. The homerun derby was one of the popular events as well for the kids as they had a chance to work on and perfect their bat flips. The kids were also able to scrimmage with the Fisher players as one of the stations to combine all of the skills they learned.
"These athletes all started where these kids were, so it was great to see the players interacting and having fun with the kids. The children were put through some great skills that will help them in their potential baseball career, but it also was a time for the kids to have someone to look up to," said Athletic Director Cathy Courtney who was also on hand for the event. "The men's team had a great time hanging with the kids and look forward to doing it again. We really appreciate the Red Sox Foundation working with Fisher to make this happen."
