On May 1, 2015, the WS Varsity Baseball team will be accomplishing much greater feats than simply defeating Lake Braddock Secondary School.
During this game against the Spartans’ biggest rival, the WS Baseball team will be raising funds for an important cause while spending time with a local elementary school student who was diagnosed with cancer. Founded in 2010 by the Westfield High School Baseball coach, Kyle’s Kamp is an organization that coordinates Diamond Dream games to connect high school baseball teams to children living with cancer. The Westfield Coach began the fundraising program after his son was diagnosed with cancer, and in the past three years alone, the program has grown and raised over one million dollars for research.
“I found out about Kyle’s Kamp just by talking to other coaches in the region. They said it was a great experience for their players and the community, and I definitely wanted our players to experience the same event,” said WS Varsity Baseball coach Jason Olms.
This tremendous amount of positive feedback from other schools inspired Olms to contact Kyle’s Kamps coordinators and plan a WS Diamond Dreams Game. Boys on the WS Baseball teams currently work with kids during the annual Springfield Challenger event, a program that pairs HS athletes and children with physical or intellectual disabilities. Olms believed that the team should take advantage of this additional opportunity to raise awareness in the West Springfield community for another important cause.
“Our guys are always in full uniform [for the Springfield Challenger], so those kids look up to them like they’re MLB players,” said Olms.
During Diamond Dreams games, the athletes raise awareness for pediatric cancer by holding online fundraisers leading up to game day, then holding raffles or games and donning special uniforms the night of the event.
The patient ambassadors hosted by the team are given the opportunity to throw the first pitch of the night and spend time with the players in the dugout.
“Our players will be wearing gold shoelaces and gold jerseys, since gold is the color for pediatric cancer. [JV] players will also be [in gold], sitting in the stands, supporting and helping us out,” said Olms.
While the team is not allowed to donate entrance fees or hold raffles at this specific game due to FCPS fundraising regulations, they will contribute all proceeds from baked good and gold T-shirt sales to Kyle’s Kamp.
“Our patient ambassador is a five year old boy from Alexandria with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, which he was diagnosed with when he was two,” said Olms.
By allowing patient ambassadors to throw the first pitch, hang out in the dugout, and hear the cheers of a crowd that is raising funds for research through their attendance, Kyle’s Kamp gives children facing serious diagnoses the chance to be superstars for the night.
“They announced [the Diamond Dreams] game to us maybe a week after tryouts. I think it helps [the patient ambassador] forget about [their diagnosis] to come out there with us,” said junior and second baseman Ryan Mahoney.
Other players on the team echoed this sentiment, and are looking forward to the event. They will be able to hang out with the young boy in between times at bat.
“It’s a good way to make the boy or girl feel accepted and to spread [information about] Kyle’s Kamp and raise awareness [for pediatric cancer],” said senior outfielder Zachary Shugart.
After communicating with program coordinators, Olms decided on a date for the Diamond Dreams game that he believed would have the greatest turnout.
“Since we’re playing Braddock, a big rival, it’ll be a bigger crowd in attendance. There will hopefully be more people there… showing up to support us,” said Olms. “It’s also Little League night and [the WS] Softball [team] is playing too, so they’ll try to join in on it with us.”
The large crowd at the game will not only raise money, but will also see that pediatric cancer is something that affects students in our area.
“So many people, especially high schoolers, think that ‘cancer only occurs in older people,’ but when players see patients diagnosed at such a young age, it’s great for them to realize it’s not necessarily the case,” said Olms.
With a sea of gold roaring from bleachers in the background and athletes on the field cheering them on, Diamond Dreams patient ambassadors pitch to open the game, and can also teach an important lesson to the older, high school athletes they look up to.
“[Kyle’s Kamp] is a chance for players to recognize how lucky they are, how grateful they should be, and to see how important it is to really enjoy and live in the moment, and just have fun,” said Olms.