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Choosing your competition: Making the pick between travel and town ball

The success of any youth sports league may depend more on the parents than the players.

At a time when travel baseball is hitting peak popularity, a Rock Island group is working to save traditional town ball.

They're learning, though, that the success of any league may depend more on the parents than the players.

Rebuilding town ball

Kevin Nolan wasn't always the one leading stretches at Hodge Park in Rock Island. Growing up, he played Little League himself, and he fondly remembers his days of instruction at the ballpark.

"I just remember it being a really warm experience," said Nolan.

When he moved his family back to the Quad Cities nearly five years ago, though, Nolan found the local Little League program wasn't quite what he remembered.

"I was a little bit let down that the program had kind of diminished over the years," said Nolan. "When you start to look around, and see that the programs you really enjoyed either don't exist anymore or don't exist at the same level that they used to, you feel kind of sad inside. But you can't feel sad for long. You have to do something."

Nolan joined the board of the Rock Island-Milan Little League, and together, the group has spent the past three years working to rebuild the program. Already, the organization has seen tremendous success, growing from roughly 200 participants to 320 players this season.

Little League has provided every member of Nolan's team, mostly nine- and 10-year-olds, with their first opportunity to play baseball.

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"I've changed a lot. I've been hitting more, fielding a lot better. And pitching," said eight-year-old Nick Johnson Demers.

Nolan says the league's goal isn't to build college or major league baseball players, but rather, to simply build quality kids.

"First and foremost, it's to be a good person, right? To be a good community member. We talk to the boys all the time about what it means to be a teammate," said Nolan.

The team has 22 games scheduled this season, and Nolan believes that's a good amount for his kids.

"So often, parents try to live vicariously through their kids," said Nolan. "I think there's something to be said for a work-life balance, or just a life balance."

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At the Barnstormer baseball club in Bettendorf, you'll find parents and players striking a slightly different balance.

"Yeah, we play a lot of games," said nine-year-old Jessica Clemons.

Between league and weekend tournaments, the 9U Bombers team will play around 40 to 50 games this season.  The group plans to travel to Muscatine, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines and the Wisconsin Dells this summer.

Assistant coach Chris Rubel says there are benefits to playing at a more competitive level.

"All 12 of the kids that are on the team want to be here," said Rubel. "They're here because they love the game of baseball, and so, being able to feed off each other and help raise each other's game is a big part of why the team is together."

Rubel grew up playing small-town Little League, and admits things have changed a lot since his youth. Those changes, though, can be good.

"There's a lot of time commitment, so it's trying to find that balance, but I think we do a good job of trying to keep on elevating the kids' games, and having fun with the game as well," said Rubel.

While many town ball programs struggle to boost participation numbers, travel clubs have proved popular in recent years. In 1999, the Barnstormers began with just four teams. This year, the club has grown to 13 teams, ranging from 8U to 14U.

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"I've pretty much gotten better at hitting, for one, because we go to the batting cages a lot," said Clemons. "I mean, practice makes perfect."

"I want to play because, well, I like getting together and playing this awesome sport," said nine-year-old Caden Rubel. "I never get tired of it."

Getting parents involved

Nolan is trying to spark that same passion among Little League players in Rock Island.

"I don't know that we're out to build the next college player, but we're out to build the next good citizen for the Quad Cities," said Nolan.

Nolan says rebuilding the program has taken hard work from a dedicated group, a social media push and involvement with area grade schools. He believes the most important factor in restoring the program, though, has been getting parents involved.

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And already, the extra work is paying off.

"They're my friends. They're funny. We make good plays, and we're a good team," said Johnson Demers.

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