Lincoln State Stars News
The Stars won the 2010 Rockin' Summer Spectacular Tournament in Roselle on June 6
As part of their preparation for the Diamond Dreams at Cooperstown experience, the Lincoln State Stars played in the 2010 Rockin' Summer Spectacular Tournament in Roselle, IL this past weekend. Playing spectacularly in both pool and bracket play, the Stars earned the title of 10U Tournament Champions!
Ledger-Sentinel Article May 2010
By Kristin Sharp
Ledger-Sentinel
Fourteen girls will get an experience of a lifetime
this summer – and most of them are only 10 years old.
The Lincoln State Stars, an elite softball team comprised
of players from the Oswego Wolves, Plainfield Edge
Chaos, Plainfield Twisters and Naperville Diamond Hawks
travel squads, will be among the first teams to participate
in the inaugural Cooperstown Diamond Dreams 10U Fastpitch
Tournament.
“Since the beginning of the ’80s, baseball teams have been going to Cooperstown, New York to play in tournaments,” said Tony Standish, head coach of the Lincoln State Stars. “It started off with a few teams and now there are thousands that take part in these tournaments. There are waiting lists to even get in. Girls softball has really taken off at a national level, so I think the people in Cooperstown thought they’d do something for girls.”
Standish wanted to give his daughter a unique opportunity. Unfortunately, not enough members of the 10U Oswego Wolves team were able to commit to the week-long trip in August, so Standish held tryouts this past December. After 32 girls tried out for the team, 14 were selected for the Lincoln State Stars roster. Players were required to be 10 years old or younger by Dec. 31, 2009.
“I wanted to be a part of it and wanted my daughter to have that experience to be a part of the inaugural year,” Standish said. “We did not want to miss the experience. We knew there were enough girls in the area where we could put a great team together. So, we held tryouts.”
Standish, who also coaches the 10U Wolves, will share coaching duties with Bob Alesia, Jerry Peck and Amy Daly, coach of the Plainfield Chaos. Chris Alesia will also help the team during the trip. With the players already committed to a full spring of travel games, the team will meet only a few times before departing in mid-August. The tournament will run Aug. 13-19 and the team is guaranteed seven games. Players will travel with their families to New York.
“The team is comprised of some of the best talent from the area and as such they can play pretty much any position on the field,” Standish said. “We have a pretty dominant pitching rotation overall. Because these girls are all stars, we’re not really concerned about getting together and practicing.”
Kids Can Foundation
The Kids Can Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that developed in conjunction with the Lincoln State Stars to help bring the dream of playing in Cooperstown a reality for the players.
“Because we are an independent operation, we needed to come up with a funding mechanism and that’s where the Kids Can Foundation was formed. This environment of youth sports is becoming so competitive and we are seeing lots of talent. Sometimes, families simply don't have the resources to help refine this talent,” Standish said.
Standish and Alesia were the driving force behind the foundation of Kids Can, which began in October 2009, and the board began working towards its first project to raise $20,000 and send the players to New York this summer.
“In October before we held tryouts, we founded the Kids Can Foundation and established it in Illinois as a charity,” said Standish, who serves as the foundation president and secretary. Alesia is the vice president and treasurer while Peck is a trustee. “We feel like it was born out of necessity. Our foundation is to assist America’s youth in realizing and living up to their full potential in the areas of education, athletics and the arts by enhancing awareness of high end life opportunities, creating and developing top-notch programs, and providing necessary resources.”
The foundation gathers monthly, and has raised $17,000 towards its fundraising goal, which will help the players and their families offset the costs of the tournament, including the players’ accommodations, equipment and a travel stipend for the families. “I can’t say it’s been easy. We’ve had some pretty substantial donations come in, which has been nice. We’re doing all kinds of creative fundraising,” Standish said.
And following the Diamond Dreams tournament, Standish hopes Kids Can will become an asset to other youth in education, athletics and arts. “There might be a young boy who is really talented at guitar and has a natural knack, but mom and dad don’t have the time or money to provide lessons. That’s where Kids Can will step in to help in those efforts. Right now our first project is the Lincoln State Stars,” Standish said.
Notes: More information on the Kids Can Foundation and the Lincoln State Stars’ upcoming trip can be found at www.kidscanfoundation.org.