CLEVELAND BOLSTERS YOUTH SOFTBALL IN BEIT SHEAN VALLEY
by Micah Winston

Softball in the Beit Shean Valley

The teams I coach recently received a badly-needed donation of new softball equipment from Bobby Goldberg and other members of the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland. Bobby, a huge baseball fan, has supported us in the past with equipment, and we really appreciate his assistance.

After coaching youth baseball for several years in the North I switched to softball in 2001 because I found that it was much more "user friendly". That is to say, it was much easier for kids to throw strikes, hit the ball, and field, and there was a lot less downtime during intrasquad games.

I now have two youth teams going strong in the Beit Shean Valley. One, which has been continuous since 1996 (I even have two of my original players still in action) is run through the Matnas (Community Center). Our home field is at Kibbutz Maoz Haim where we play on a soccer field with a backstop, a large tree in centerfield, and a camel spectating from foul territory. We are below sea level and it rarely rains here (until this year) so we almost never cancel practice because of weather. The season runs for ten months. My players come from area kibbutzim and moshavim, as well as Beit Shean and Afula and were born in five different countries. My top product is Corey Fried, who was the youngest player on the Junior National Team last year. Several others over the years have played with the fast-pitch team I play for in the National League.

My second team is based at Malkishua, a community for drug rehabilitation. I teach in the youth wing and run a softball practice once a week. Malkishua is on Mt. Gilboa bordering the West Bank. It provides a secluded site for recovery and reeducation of youth and adults who have lost all hope. The community is run by the residents and behavioral modification is achieved by a system of positive reinforcement of acceptable behavior and "results" (not punishment) for negative behavior. Peer pressure plays a large role in attaining the goals. Youth typically stay there for a year and a half and then continue to a hostel before their reentry into society.

In the year and a half that I have coached at Malkishua, over sixty youth have passed through my program. Among them have been native Israeli Jews, Druse, Arabs, Ethiopians, and Russian and American immigrants. Last year we competed in 10 games against a variety of teams. We play on the soccer field at Malkishua, but must travel for games.

I try to stress the importance of team play and sportsmanship. Many of these teens have never participated in a positive competitive atmosphere before and are surprised at their capabilities. One youth told his therapist, after laying down a successful sacrifice bunt, that he had never envisioned sacrificing himself for others. Another teen, an immigrant from Russia, during a post-game discussion where I handed out awards for offensive and defensive players of the game, claimed that he deserved "internalization" player of the game. Why? Well, it seems that some spectators at the game had insulted our team in Russian, and this youth, who had been very violent in the past, ignored the insults and concentrated on the game.

There is also a strong baseball program at Kibbutz Ein HaNatsiv, run by Tuvya Gross. He has sent several players, including two of his sons, to play on Junior National Teams. Two girls he coached now play in the women's softball league and on the Women's National Team.

All baseball aficionados from Cleveland are invited to observe or participate in our practices when they visit. I may be reached at home: 04-6060483 or my cell phone - 064-737601.

Adar Bet 5763 - March 2003