Othello anticipates another fun year of summer sports

OTHELLO – As the summer kicks off this weekend, that calls for the start of summer sports like adult leagues and little leagues. According to Othello Parks and Recreation Coordinator Valerie Hernandez, there is plenty to look forward to.  

“We bring everybody together. It brings a positive vibe to our community. It really brings a positive, family-oriented vibe, and the events are happening. Everyone's at the park, so it's actually really positive,” she said.  

Little League baseball and tee-ball are concluding this month. Hernandez said turnout for these leagues is usually strong.  

“Our little league has always been pretty spectacular. We had close to 300 kids try out and participate for the tee-ball minors and majors this year,” Hernandez said.  

There is a boys 10U and girls 11U little league team that will be traveling to the Asotin District Five tournament this weekend as part of an All-Star team. According to Hernandez, the boys team will have to play through their schedule while the girls bracket is an automatic bid to participate in the state tournament.  

While little league baseball and tee-ball are wrapping up, other sports are gearing up for a July start. Registration for their NFL Flag Football and MLS Soccer leagues is currently open. Football has a deadline of June 22, while Soccer’s deadline is July 13.  

The flag football league will run from July 15 through Aug. 7. The soccer league will run from Aug. 19 through Sept. 11, on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  

Another endeavor Hernandez would like to see come to fruition is their adult co-ed softball teams.  

“I know we have a lot of adult softball teams traveling to different areas. So, this year, we'd like to try again to have some local teams stop by and play a season with us again,” Hernandez said.  

Registration for the league closes July 9, with each team being able to hold a maximum of 16 players. The season runs on Monday evenings from July 14 through Sept. 10, at the Lions Park Athletic Complex.  

According to Hernandez, city officials wanted to have a rec league where community members could come out and just have fun playing ball. Less competitive than a typical league, they aim to capture more of a backyard softball style of play. They hope to increase turnout for this league as well, she said.  

In preparation for summer leagues, organizing officials, coaches and announcers is a key element to their planning. According to Hernandez, turnout for volunteers to fulfill those roles has been successful in past years.  

“Sometimes it's hard to get volunteers, but at the end of the day, our parents step up. So, I don't get too worried about it, because our community is really engaged in participating and wanting these sports to excel, I have not had to cancel a youth team so far, and our goal is to not have to do that, because we want to be of service to these kids,” she said.  

Flyers for the summer leagues can be found on the City of Othello Facebook page.