Island Nation Supports Five Little League Programs

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (April 9, 2008) – The brilliant blue skies and warming breezes common to spring in the Caribbean Sea, provide a fantastic scene for nearly 1,000 Little Leaguers on the island of Aruba, who have grabbed their bats and gloves in celebration of Aruba Little League’s golden anniversary.

First chartering in 1958, Aruba’s 50 years of affiliation with Little League Baseball and Softball has seen the island nation of more than 90,000 flourish from tourism, but also remain true to its residents by nurturing the children through its relationship with Little League.

“Little League is well-known on the island, and people, young and old, appreciate what it means to have the program,” Elio Heronimo, District Administrator and Aruba Little League President, said. “People come to the games, whether they have children playing, or not. Everyone is proud to have the children playing Little League.”

Aruba is located off of the northwestern coast of Venezuela, South America, and is approximately 15 kilometers long and eight kilometers wide (75 square miles). The majority of the population is a combination of mostly American Indian, Spanish, and Dutch ancestry. Dutch is the official language; Papiamento, a Creole language, is used for daily affairs.

In its anniversary season, the Aruba Little League association is introducing Minor Baseball divisions for ages 5-6 and 7-8, bringing the total number of teams to 68. Currently, baseball is played in Little League Major Division (9-10 and 11-12); and teenage divisions (Junior, Senior and Big League).

Aruba Little League is celebrating its 50th anniversary this season in 2008. The island’s Little League Association has five leagues and is fielding 68 teams this year in Tee Ball through Big League baseball divisions.

Aruba also supports Little League Softball as part of its five charters. The Aruba Little League Association is the governing body for the island’s Little League program.

Braulio Wester, 76, is Assistant District Administrator and Treasurer for Aruba Little League. He was an umpire in the league’s inaugural year, and spent the next 15 years as a coach or manager, before assuming a seat on the association’s board of directors.

“Every weekend I am on the field, because I’m addicted to the Little League program,” Mr. Wester, who also serves as Aruba Little League’s director of tournaments, said. “We have good support from our volunteers and the community is very proud of Aruba Little League.

“We just had opening day, and it was amazing how many parents were at the games to support the children,” he said. “That’s the way it was when we started 50 years ago, and it is still that way today.”

Aruba Little League operates its program on three fields that are 15 minutes apart. The Minor, Major and teenage divisions all have their own places to play.

Mr. Heronimo, 64, said he recognizes how important it is having the younger players involved.

“The Little League-age players make up the largest numbers in our program, but we all realize the importance of getting the younger divisions up and running,” Mr. Heronimo, a retired trade school welding teacher, said. “On the island, there are so many sports to choose from, so I see getting the younger age groups playing as a positive step for our program.”

Mr. Heronimo had three boys play in Aruba Little League, and now his six-year-old grandson is playing his first year of Little League. All seven of the league’s board of directors, have children or grandchildren playing in the league, he said.

“Little League is a very good program and I don’t see myself stepping down anytime soon,” Mr. Wester said. “I keep statistics for the teams during the regular season when I’m not giving umpiring or scoring lessons to volunteers.”

Aruba Little League is like many leagues when it comes to enticing adult volunteers to give of their time. Mr. Heronimo said that later this year he has organized a visit to the various schools on the island to promote the program to children and adults alike.

Growth and expansion of the program is typically difficult because of the annual turnover that is common with most leagues. To the league’s credit, enrollment numbers have remained relatively consistent.

The first season of Aruba Little League had four teams with 15 players on a roster. This year, Mr. Heronimo and Mr. Wester said the regular season will run until late June with each team (14 players per team) playing four to five rounds of games depending on the division.

In 50 years, Aruba Little League has remained a beacon of pride for the island despite never having a team advance past regional play at any level. Dismissing that fact, Mr. Wester said, “Yes, we’re still looking forward to making it to a World Series, but every year the kids start off by believing this will be their year.”

Aruba’s postseason begins by determining its own tournament representatives. The Little League Major Division’s eventual island champion plays through the Caribbean Region of the Little League International Tournament, while the teenage divisions qualify to participate in the Latin America Region tournament.