Yankees

July 19, 2002 Volunteers give time for children By DENNIS BOYER Democrat Sports Writer Milo Amistani toiled away in the Klenhard Park snack bar, unfazed by the intense heat. She is one of several volunteers who are making this week's Cal Ripken NorCal 11-under Tournament possible. "It's the kids," Amistani said, when asked why she donates her time. "It's fun to get involved and participate." As head of the snack bar, Amistani put in over thirty hours last weekend, and has been working at least nine hours a day since. It is her fourth year of involvement with Bambino/Cal Ripken. During the three week vacation she received between the end of the regular season and the start of the tournament, she missed coming to the ballpark. "My kids are in the league and very young, so I think I'll be doing this a while," Amistani said. "Sometimes it gets stressful, but it's lots of fun." Carla White-Snyder, president of Woodland Cal Ripken, said it takes approximately 2,000 hours of manpower to put on the tournament. "Some people have actually used summer vacation time to volunteer," she said. "Some people juggle their schedule." Marissa Mercado, head scorekeeper for Cal Ripken, is one of those people. In addition to her job with Sunbelt Communications, she's been averaging over 11 hours a day at Klenhard, including over thirty hours last weekend. "Sometimes, I think about giving it up, just because I would like to go to school four nights a week instead of two," she said. "But then it hits you that you're doing something right. After a month of (volunteering), I had a greater appreciation for every junior high coach, high school coach, and softball coach, because they're taking time away from themselves to make sure you're a better person. Kids who play baseball stay out of trouble. "Despite the long hours, the tournament is fun. You see moms from other communities that are going through the same thing you are. It's very exciting to see such young talent." Umpire Ron Van Aken was donning his gear, preparing for the start of a game. He works for Babe Ruth during the regular season, and switched jobs a few weeks back so he could work for a company that was more supportive of the time he donates to youth baseball. "You gain a new respect for umpiring when you have to get behind the plate," Van Aken said. "There's absolutely nothing better (than working the tournament). It's good baseball and good fans." Tournament director Tony Salvemini volunteers because he enjoys serving the community. He said last year's Ripken-12 tournament earned about $5,700. He pointed out that the money the tournament generates "spills into the economy of Woodland. "I always manage to use vacation time (for Ripken tournaments) this time of the year," he said. "I don't have a child in the program, and working the tournament is my way of contributing to Woodland. You figure that teams are coming in from out of town, staying at our hotels, and everyone is eating two meals a day." Lack of workers necessitates the long hours that many volunteers are putting in. Salvemini has his hands full making sure the operation is running smoothly. "It takes a tremendous man-power comittment by the parents," Salvemini said. "You never have enough manpower. Part of the problem is that we've got five all-star teams this year, and it's tough to get parents to volunteer when their kids are practicing, getting ready for tournaments." Jean Conkling, executive secretary for Cal Ripken, loves working the tournament but acknowledges that lack of volunteers is a problem. "The big thing is that we need a lot more volunteers instead of people complaining," Conklin said. "Light hands make light work, and there's a lot of us who are hunched over from too much work. "We're here for the kids, to make sure they have a fair opportunity to play. There's no benifets to this except to come out and be around baseball."