Moorestown Youth Softball Association (MYSA)’s spring registration is currently open.
Winter may be in full swing, but members of the Moorestown Youth Softball Association have their eyes on spring.
The program’s spring registration is open, and with the travel softball program having more than doubled in size since 2015, more than 100 girls are taking to the field each season, and the group is optimistic its growth streak will continue this year as well.
MYSA is an entirely volunteer-run organization and is funded exclusively through registration fees, donations and fundraising activities.
Bob Reilley, MYSA board member and travel coordinator, said the recreation program focuses on kindergarten through sixth grade because that’s the time during which young girls are making new friends in school and wish to spend even more time with those new friends outside of school.
“Since softball is such a fun and social sport, kindergarten is the perfect time to dive in and work together with new friends to enjoy the outdoors, get some exercise, and improve in the process,” Reilley said.
MYSA’s travel program, on the other hand, extends through age 18. He said the travel program program provides a more serious, higher-level of play than the recreation program. However, the players still have fun and make great friends in the process.
Moorestown’s travel softball teams, known as the Moorestown Quakes for players 14 and under, have been around for about a decade, but the number of travel teams has fluctuated over the years. MYSA currently has eight travel teams covering various age ranges.
Reilley said, as with other sports, travel softball offers players a chance to improve by going against the “better players” from other towns. He said another added benefit is that taking a short journey as a team to another town to play against another team cultivates deeper relationships and stresses the importance of working together toward a shared goal.
MYSA’s primary focus, according to Reilley, is to provide girls a place to have fun, make friends and learn important life lessons about commitment and being a part of a team. Along the way, they help them to become better softball players.
“We believe what makes MYSA special is the people,” Reilley said. “We in MYSA are most proud of the tight bonds we have developed that we believe are unmatched in other local organizations.”
Reilley said they encourage young kids to join softball, first and foremost, because the sport is fun. He said many kids have made some of their best friends by playing softball.
“Softball is a social and fun sport, and we all really love and appreciate the relationships we have developed with our close-knit and very welcoming softball family,” Reilley said.
The season will start in April and run through the beginning of June. To register, visit www.moorestownsoftball.org.
