Kickball league is all about community

By Will Tramp

Thursday, August 20, 2009

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Contributed photo

Lawrence residents participate in the Kaw Valley Kickball League. The KVKL is a non-profit league with more than 30 teams.

Barbecues, family time at the pool and, for some, kickball filled the summer of 2009 in Lawrence.

As KU students begin their fall semester, the Kaw Valley Kickball League is finishing its summer season. KVKL is a non-profit, volunteer-supported organization based in Lawrence. Thirty teams, many representing local businesses, compete for bragging rights. The culmination of months of hard work, a championship tournament began Sunday and continues for the next two weekends.

While all teams involved are eager for competition, bunting to buy some time and running their hearts out for the bases, kickball is not just about the rivalry. Involvement in the league is not limited to local businesses, but sharing a similar outlook on the sport with an existing team is important.

“I want to play a game of kickball that’s more fun, more camaraderie, and more exercise,” said Joel Pfannenstiel, owner of Astrokitty Comics & More and co-captain of the store’s kickball team. “There are a lot of people that play for the same reason.”

When the Red Lyon Tavern’s team took on its neighbor from across the street, the Mad Greek kickball team, the energy from the players was palpable as they cheered their teammates on.

Elliot Beall, catcher for the Mad Greek, cheered not only for his teammates, but also people he considered close friends.

“I’ll admit,” Beall said, “I’ve met a lot of good friends, people I didn’t know four years ago, through kickball.”

Chase Ownby, KU freshman and member of the Open Sky Landscaping kickball team, became involved in the KVKL earlier this year. His brother Adam, a long time member of the Sacred Sword kickball team, introduced him to the sport. While planning on majoring in accounting, Ownby confessed that he doesn’t find the ability to crunch numbers much a boon on the field.

As involvement with the league builds, so does the KVKL’s part in the Lawrence community. Commissioner Deron Belt and other members of the KVKL board implemented a recycling program this season. The program is in association with Cans for Community and is aimed at keeping Lawrence’s parks clean. Belt said that each team is responsible for collecting cans around the park area that they are playing in.

“I just think we could do more than what we have done,” Belt said. “We can do well for the community.”

— —Edited by Sarah Kelly

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