Longmire Park played host to a fierce competition between two teams vying for the first City of Yelm Parks and Recreation Department summer kickball league championship Wednesday, Aug. 7.
Balls Deep faced off against The Wannabes with bragging rights on the line, with Balls Deep using an offensive explosion to clinch the title, 8-4. The double-elimination style tournament began with six teams July 8 before the top two teams emerged.
Braden Castleberry-Taylor, who was also a member of the Prairie Days Charity Mushball Tournament champion-winning team, said his Balls Deep squad used a positive attitude every day to win the crown.
“We just came to have fun and get a win, and it was a good time. Yelm is just a great community,” he said. “Teams that were eliminated or weren’t even playing would come out and watch. It was a soft-hearted environment. It was something to look forward to on Mondays and Wednesdays.”
Brent Brabant said the kickball league gave adults the opportunity to get out of the house, be active and connect with other people in the community. The competition will also return for another round of games in September.
“It gets people out of the house, gets people together from all different ages, all the way from people who are graduating high school to people who have already retired,” Brabant said. “They’re coming out and doing something that’s other than sitting on a couch or sitting at a bar.”
Brabant and Shane Yeagley, who acted as a coach for the team, said the team’s roster fluctuated throughout the tournament, with a total of 20 people suiting up and 10 playing each game. Balls Deep even had some new players that debuted in the title game and contributed to the victory.
“It’s just really hard with the 6 p.m. time and you never know about traffic and stuff, so we had a few people to play backup in case we needed them,” Yeagley said. “They came out and did just good enough. It’s a good suggestion going into the fall league to make sure that you have a lot on your roster.”
