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Community Corner

Free Aquafina Major League Baseball Pitch, Hit & Run Competition

The Des Plaines Park District will host a Free Aquafina Major League Baseball Pitch, Hit & Run Competition on May 15 from 11:00am to 3:00pm in the Prairie Lakes Field, 515 E. Thacker Street. The competition is free for all participants; boys and girls ages 7-14 are welcome to compete in three events.

Pitch, Hit & Run is the Official Skills Competition of Major League Baseball. This grassroots program is designed to provide children with an opportunity to compete, free of charge, in a competition that recognizes individual excellence in core baseball/softball skills. The PITCH portion of the program will test how accurately a competitor can throw strikes to a designated “Strike Zone” target. The HIT portion of the program will test a competitor’s ability to hit from a stationary tee for distance and accuracy. The RUN portion of the program will measure a competitor’s speed in a sprint from second base, around home, and across home plate.

Competitors are divided into four age divisions 7/8, 9/10. 11/12, and 13/14 (as of July 17, 2011) and have the chance to advance through four levels of competition, including Local, Sectional, Team Championships at Major League Ballparks and the National Finals at the 2011 MLB All-Star Game. The individual Pitching, Hitting and Running Champion, along with the All-Around Champion in each age group and gender group at the Local Competition will be awarded and advance to the Sectional Level of Competition.

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Participants will be asked to provide a form of age verification (birth certificate), and all participants must sign a registration/waiver form.

The 2011 official registration form is available by calling 847-391-5711 or visiting, www.DPParks.org.

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