Olan Cunningham camp receives great feedback

The bang and echo of baseballs bouncing off gym floors and flying off swinging bats rang throughout the old Red Bay High School gym and practice building as boys of all ages were coached by former Major League Baseball players and local coaches at the Olan Cunningham Youth Baseball Camp in Red Bay Saturday.

“I think it’s going exceptionally well,” Mayor Charlene Fancher said as she took a break from helping in the kitchen and watched the children practice.

Six stations were set up: four in the gym and two in the practice building. In the gym, players worked on the basic mechanics of baseball and throwing. In the practice building, they worked on batting.

Red Bay Coach Richard Maggerise said he believes the young athletes learned a lot of tools they can take back to their programs and use in continued development.

“It’s a major opportunity for the kids and for the state of Alabama,” Rosalyn Fabianke said. Fabianke is a board member of the Governor’s Commission on Physical Fitness and Sports. She brought with her Phil Holmes and Dee Pack, who are also on the commission. Holmes even helped former MLB player David Weathers coach the children on some of the basics of baseball.

“We really want to educate kids about the basics of the sport because that will keep them from getting hurt in the long run,” Holmes said.

Holmes said Fabianke made plans to attend and support the camp and invited him to come along because she knew how much he loves baseball.

“We (commission members) are trying to get more involved, and Phil was the perfect choice for this because he used to play baseball for Samford University,” Fabianke said.

Since a couple of coaches were unable to attend the camp, Fancher said they had to call in extra people at the last minute to help, like Holmes.

“It’s all about the teamwork,” Fancher said. “We’re learning a lot from this first camp, and we hope to have more in the future.”

That teamwork was largely facilitated by Dean Hubbard, Red Bay’s Parks and Recreation director.

“I want to give a special thanks to Dean for taking the camp and getting things organized,” Maggerise said.

After all of the groups finished practicing, everyone gathered in the gym, and a special baseball signed by the attending former MLB players – Donovan Hand, Weathers and McGilberry – was given to camp namesake Olan Cunningham, Fancher and the Governor’s Commission representatives.

Then, Hand, Weathers and McGilberry took a moment to speak with the children about their futures, their education and their parents.

“I couldn’t have gotten where I am without the support of my parents,” Hand said.

Weathers addressed the parents and told them to support their children’s dreams and be there for them no matter what.

McGilberry stressed the importance of education, especially for people pursuing a career in sports.

The children then flocked to the table to receive a baseball signed by each of the former MLB players.