Host a young ballplayer

I'm glad to see that Greater Loudoun Babe Ruth will again host a World Series here next month. This year, Loudoun hosts the series for 14-year-old boys.
Loudoun normally hosts one of these about every four years at Fireman's Field in Purcellville, and families across the county can help by hosting a visiting player or two in their homes for that week. This year, the series is be played Aug. 18-28.
I can remember our first experience hosting this event in 1998 when I was editor of the Times-Mirror. Dale Myers, then chairman of the Board of Supervisors, was the lead cheerleader and organizer who pulled the county together to not only host some fine visiting ballplayers, but also to assure that they wanted to come back.
At the Times-Mirror, we published a special daily edition during the series that was passed out at Fireman's Field. It not only reported on the games played in the series, but also offered other information of interest to the visiting players and host families.
Supervisors Chairman Scott York has also been a strong promoter of the series and he also is urging residents who can to host a visiting ballplayer in their homes during the coming series.
Babe Ruth relies on host families to house visiting ballplayers in their homes. Players come from across the country and offer host families opportunities not only to show Loudoun and the Washington, D.C. area to a visitor, but also to learn about the visitor's hometown area.
We still need about 20 more families willing to host a ballplayer or two in their homes for those 10 days. Local Babe Ruth families normally are the first to volunteer, but there are about 130 boys coming to play in the series and additional housing is always needed.
Host families say the experience is a good one, normally making family friends who keep in contact for years to come. And families who have hosted a ballplayer or two in their homes during the series, often volunteer to repeat the experience.
If you can host a visiting 14-year-old Babe Ruth ballplayer or two, please call Joe Robillard at 703-282-7410, or e-mail president@glbr.org.
You'll enjoy the experience.