Chris Stiles: Welcome to Lumberton, Dixie Youth

Chris Stiles, The Robesonian, Lumberton, N.C.
·2 min read

Aug. 6—LUMBERTON — For some of you, my voice will be one of those that you will hear — or, in this case, read — that represents some city in southeastern North Carolina that you're visiting for the Dixie Youth World Series over the coming days.

As the tournament gets underway, this column is for you.

Welcome to Lumberton.

Some 495 players and coaches, representing 33 teams, are here for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to participate in this event. That statement will be true for the teams that go two-and-out, and for the teams that win it all.

For those fortunate enough to be successful in this World Series, that success will present even more of a unique opportunity — the chance to become a World Series champion.

Beyond that success, though, I hope that there will be plenty of memories made this week, not just at the ballpark, but as you dine in our restaurants, visit our local attractions and even decompress and rest in our hotels.

While I didn't personally play in the Dixie Youth Baseball organization, my own career playing Little League baseball brings great family memories — many of which happened off the field but would not have happened had I not been playing baseball.

And when the teams are at the ballpark, they'll play a great game that has become a great pastime — a great tradition — within American culture. This is true if you attend a big league game, but also true all the way down to the leagues for the little ones that we'll be watching the next few days.

As the tournament unfolds at the Dr. Raymond B. Pennington Athletic Complex, the opportunities to enjoy these games will be endless, with games across five fields at the large facility. The baseball will be nonstop, starting with Saturday's opening games at 1 p.m. and lasting until after 9 p.m., and continuing over the successive five days.

Part of the allure of the trip to the ballpark is getting to root, root, root for the home team — or even, in this case, the team traveling hundreds of miles from home. Cheering on these talented children represents a great and positive experience, in today's world where so much of what is seen and heard is negative.

So whether you're from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas or Virginia — or even from right here in Robeson County, represented both by host teams from Lumberton and a West Robeson Majors team that earned its way to the World Series just a few miles from home — strap in for a fun week of baseball, and everything else that comes with it.

Welcome to our city — and enjoy your stay.

Chris Stiles can be reached at 910-816-1977 or by email at cstiles@robesonian.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @StilesOnSports.