Teamwork improves fields

The Clarendon High School Bronco and Lady Bronco baseball and softball teams aren’t the only ones on the field practicing teamwork. While the teams work on running bases and catching pop flies, members of the community have united together to help make long-time visions for the ball fields come true.

In 2005, Clarendon saw members of the community join together in a spirit of cooperation to help make dreams of community leaders, parents, and kids for the ball fields become a reality. Now four years later, this same combined effort continues as upgrades to the fields near completion.

Among the new renovations that are currently in progress are the addition of two new sets of bleachers for all three fields as well as concrete pads under them, safety railing, a new outfield fence in the Little League’s Hart-Moore Field, and safety panels. According to Clarendon ISD Superintendent Monty Hysinger, the labor will be well worth the effort so parents, fans and citizens will have access to a much better viewing area and a nice place to sit when they come to watch the ball games.

“Since I’ve been here, we have completely got two brand new parks,” Clarendon ISD Athletic Director Gary Jack says. “We just need to keep upgrading our facilities because it’s just something continual. The bleachers were a big part of what we wanted to do next.”

Many members of the community have volunteered their time and labor to accomplish this common goal, and many dads have also helped including Stan Shelton, Randy White and Casey Cobb. Local contractors have been hired to help, including Kelly Hill, who is overseeing bleacher and fence construction, and Roy Williams, who is in charge of pouring concrete pads for bleachers and handicap ramps.

“All the work down there has been a joint effort from the school, the Little League, and quite a few volunteers, along with all the donations that have been made. We have some of the nicest facilities in district, and I’m pretty excited about that,” Stan Shelton said.

Local donations have drastically decreased the cost of this renovation. Clarendon College generously donated the new bleachers, since they had some left over from their Equine Center. Greenbelt Water Authority donated sand to help with the concrete. Some labor has been provided by inmates from Childress, under the supervision of Tommy Leeper. Gary Jack drives the bus provided by CISD for the transportation of the inmates to and from Childress.

According to Hysinger, this project could have easily cost $120,000; but with the help of community donations, it should cost only around $40,000.

“It’s a great thing what we’re doing,” Roy Williams says. “There’s a lot of people coming together. A lot of the fathers are doing different things to help out.  It’s a community effort. The superintendent of the schools is the head of it, but it’s just different people joining together and doing things to help make this possible. It’s going to be a nice facility when we finish it.”

Senior Devin Noble expresses his appreciation for the hard work and dedication of the community to benefit the baseball program and McClellan Field.
“I remember playing in the field in Little League, and it was horrible,” Noble says. “There were stickers everywhere, and the fence and dugouts were bad. But now we have one of the best fields in the Panhandle. Come out, enjoy the new facilities, and support us because we’re really good this year and have a great chance of going to state.”