Kenny Lake Baseball Coaches Reunite
Photo by Judith Lorenz.
Kenny Lake Group photo: From left to right: Jan Carlon with grand daughter Lucy Steck, Preston Shangin, Killian Cooley, Sammy Patinka, Judith Lorenz, Mary Proch, Seth Patinka, Koiana Cooley, Trigger Dolge, Timothy Lorenz, Evan Lorenz, Tobyn Dolge, Martin Brian, Acai Scheller, Zebedee and Noel Steck, Raiden Buck, Andrew Brian, Coach Reed Carlson and Doug Vollman, Violet Godin, Cherish Bailey, Spring Proch.
Judith Lorenz - Kenny Lake
A weeklong baseball/soccer camp in Kenny Lake for children aged 6 through 12 was held in Kenny Lake June 6-10. Twenty children participated throughout the week, coached by Matt and Judith Lorenz, Doug Vollman and special guest Reed Carlson. Carlson taught in Kenny Lake for seven years starting in 1988 before becoming principal of the Kenny Lake school in 1995 for 13 years.
This camp turned out to be a wonderful historic reunion as Vollman and Carlson had started coaching together for the first ever baseball team in Kenny Lake, some 19 years ago! Carlson was in Kenny Lake during the camp by coincidence. A last-minute call brought him on board spontaneously.
Reed Carlson bating. Photo by Judith Lorenz.
Carlson recalled how it all began in the early 2000s: “The A.S.A.A (Alaska School Activities Association) requires schools to survey their children every three years to ask what sport they want to play. At that time, youth were hoping to do some spring sport. Baseball came as a first choice.”
“The school district was reluctant at first at the idea and we worked really hard to advocate baseball. Proponents of a baseball team in Kenny Lake brought letters of support from baseball teams in Valdez, Delta, and Kluti-Kaah. All the kids interested in playing signed a baseball ball to present during the school board meeting as a symbol of their motivation.”
Carlson said, “It often goes like this: You don’t have the kids, you don’t have the program. You have no program because you have no kids. So, we just decided to have the program and see how things would turn out.”
The school board approved baseball in 2002 and the first season of baseball kicked off the following year after much community effort. The Rasmussen Foundation and Charlotte Martin Foundation awarded grants to pay for topsoil, fencing, an umpire box and leveling off the field. Sterile topsoil was brought from Palmer for the infield. Par- ents and local volunteers came together to do the work.
Kenny Lake School had a full team for four years. Carlson remembered, “It was especially unique as there were very few 1A schools playing baseball, so Kenny Lake ended up playing with 3A and 4A schools.”
The Kenny Lake Baseball Team in 2003, the first year of Kenny Lake baseball.
Carlson, who is a life-long baseball fan, believes “Baseball teaches many life skills. It’s a perfect game for a kid to learn.” He was grateful the school district realized that.
When asked what it was like to coach for a few days with Vollman, Carlson said, “It was lots of joy to coach with Doug again. It’s fun to holler at the same time and joke like 20 years ago. There are so many talented kids, naturally inclined to be strong baseball players. The kids were well behaved and open to learn.”
Vollman said it was awesome to be on the field again with Carlson. “It went well. The kids had a lot of fun. That’s what matters and they had a good introduction to the sport. With more practice, they will learn to be a team! I would love to see a little tournament next year and play with local teams.”
We are hoping to meet again in August for more practice. Next year we would like to have a two-week-long practice and hopefully a little tournament with Gakona, Copper Center and any other communities interested.
Doug Vollman pitching. Photo by Judith Lorenz.
