Community Gives Escanaba Girls Hero's Welcome
ESCANABA----They showed up dressed in Orange and Black. Some showed up in the Forest Green colors of the Central Regional Little League colors. There were grandmas in their 60's and 70's. There were boys and girls as young as three years old. They were all there at Lemmerand Park Monday night to welcome home the Escanaba Junior Girls Little League team, which concluded a magical summer of softball with a trip to the World Series. The girls left Seattle on Sunday, and then drove from Cleveland to Escanaba on Monday, ending two and a half weeks on the road.
A police and fire escort for the Esky girls!
"This is absolutely fantastic," Escanaba Manager Jamie Segorski said of the turnout Monday night. "I've never seen a community like ours. The way we come together, this such a fantastic welcome home. There's no words to describe it." Segorski spoke to the younger girls....the 9/10 and 11/12 Little Leaguers...and urged them to keep the traditiom going by working hard and loving the game of softball. He told them that they, too, could experience the thrill of going to a World Series. "They put in an incredible amount of work," Segorski said of the Junior Girls. "It never stopped from last year, when we were majors and lost in the quarterfinals at the state tournament. The girls haven't stopped playing. They showed they really wanted this." Several of the girls spoke briefly, thanking the community for its support. And District Ten Administrator Don Howes called the tournament run "super". "This has been a great, great tournament run that has been second to none." Escanaba Mayor Leo Evans was also on hand, and spoke to the crowd. "We're really proud of the girls," Evans said. "Not only did they put Escanaba on the map statewide, they also did it nationally and world-wide." Evans has declared September 6th as "Escanaba Junior Softball Day" in the City of Escanaba. The girls will be honored at the city council meeting that night. "It was a job well done," the mayor told the girls. There was also an award given to Jack Hall (yep, me) and the Radio Results Network. Howes made the surprising placque presentation during the welcome home event. The recognition is appreciated, and everyone at RRN has played at least some part in the coverage of these games over the years. We hope you enjoyed the broadcasts of all of the games, both boys and girls, and the on-line stories, pictures, etc. Thanks to all of our local businesses....roughly 90 of them....who gave us the money needed to travel to all of these tournaments. Click the thumbnails in the "ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS" box to see pictures from Monday night's celebration. Click the headlines in the "RELATED STORIES" section to relive all of the girls tournament games!! |