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my watch. You’re excited about going
— piling up and picking people up.”
Fellow church member and WC-
SNB Board President Jeri Kay Kao
recruited Brett to help occasionally
in the league about four years ago.
“She asked me to help with Zach
(her son), then I was thrown in with
other people,” the Decatur High
School junior said. “It was different
at first, but you kind of loosen up
after the first couple of weeks when
you get to know everybody. And now
I love it.
“Those of us who can play sports
kind of take it for granted,” he continued.
“But when you see them out
there having so much fun, it opens
up your eyes to a whole different
view. I’d rather be playing games
with them than with friends like
me.”
That enthusiasm drew the interest
of his parents and brother.
“You see one doing it, and you see
what fun they’re having,” Mark said.
“Then you’ve got two going, then
three. It’s turned into a family outing
for us. Once you go, you’re kind
of hooked. You get over the fear you
have of not knowing anybody, not
knowing what to do. But you go out
there and find a place to plug in.
Once you get out there and get started,
you’ll have more fun there than
anywhere else.”
And the same high levels of excitement
echo among all four members
of the family.
“That’s probably one of the reasons
I enjoy it so much,” Lori said.
“My boys like it. I don’t have to force
them to do community service. They
love it. They’re just as excited as I
am.”
Their youngest son, Ethan, interjected,
“I hurry to get ready on Saturday
morning to go.”
“It’s the only time you get up early,
and we’re not dragging you out of
bed,” Mom quipped back.
Dad added: “That’s one thing —
we can’t get the kids to do anything
Messenger photo by Joe Duty • Buy reprints at wcmessenger.com/reprints
HIGH FIVE — Ethan Jones, 12, of Rhome congratulates David Ross as
he crosses home plate in a Wise County Special Needs Baseball game
Saturday. As a volunteer, Ethan acts as DJ and catcher, even dancing
behind home plate.
around the house, but they will get
out there and help with that, even
the ‘pick up’ part after. Once you get
home, good luck trying to get them to
do anything.”
Ethan doesn’t deny it.
“Every weekend, I don’t want to
do anything but go there and spend
the whole weekend playing baseball
with them,” the Chisholm Trail
Middle School seventh grader said.
“I love it.”
Different roles
Volunteer roles in this league differ
from typical responsibilities.
While Ethan may spend some
time “as the DJ,” he also helps as
catcher on the field — an animated,
dancing catcher at that.
“That’s what I love about these
games,” Lori said. “It’s all about having
fun. A couple of weeks ago, one
of our volunteers, Michael, was in a
dancing mood. He just started dancing
on the pitcher’s mound. One of
our players over on the sideline was
watching intently and kind of dancing.
I grabbed his hand and said,
‘Let’s do a dance war.’
“And they did — right there, on the
pitcher’s mound, in the middle of the
game. It was fantastic; it was fun.”
The parents and older brother
buddy with a player and guide their
moves around the field.
“Some of them need for you to
physically bat for them,” Lori said.
WISE COUNTY MESSENGER, Decatur, Texas, Wednesday, October 24, 2012
“But we try to get at least a hand on
the bat, and we’ll bat for them. Some
can do it on their own so you just
stand and cheer and watch out for
the bat. We also run the bases with
them or, if they’re wheelchair-bound,
we’ll push their wheelchair. Everybody
bats twice, and everybody gets
to go to the outfield.”
The differing needs may intimidate
some potential volunteers. But
the family assures everyone that it’s
possible to get past those doubts.
“Some people are afraid because
they can’t communicate with the
kids. But it’s OK. You learn. They
Another way to help...
Wise County Special Needs Baseball League is
hosting a ZUMBA Fitness Dance for the Field’s
Halloween fundraiser 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct.
27, at the Decatur Multipurpose Building, behind
McCarroll Middle School at 1201 Thompson St.
The event is hosted by Zumba instructor Simon
Kao, and there will be costume judging with cash
prizes, raffles, T-shirts and more. Tickets are $12
at the door or $10 in advance from any player,
from Small Town Graphics in Bridgeport or by calling
Jeri Kay at (940) 577-1848.
All funds raised will go to build a Miracle League
baseball field to accommodate all players.
may not be able to speak, but they
communicate with you with smiles,
holding your hand or hugging you,”
Lori said. “They’re just like us. They
just want to play. After a while, you
don’t even see the disability. You just
stop and think, ‘Oh, I don’t ever want
to forget that smile. Or that excitement.’”
Mark added: “You get over the
fear that you have. You’re afraid to
help some of these kids because you
don’t know how to hold them, you’re
afraid you’re going to do something
wrong. If you see someone having a
hard time, people come over and give
them a hand.”
Unlike typical baseball, there are
no assigned fielding positions, and
the ball being pitched and hit isn’t
the only ball in play. Players take to
the field wherever they find a spot
and toss around several baseballs.
7A
“If your buddy is able to, they’ll
pick up the ball themselves and
throw it back. Or we’ll pick it up and
put it in their hands and have the
activity of feeling the ball, talking
to them about the ball and helping
them move, some motor skills stuff,”
Lori said.
The family also acknowledges that
part of their jobs is to give the parents
a break.
“They are so energetic,” Lori said.
“You really have to keep an eye on
them. But they are so much fun.
They are loving being out there,
which makes you love being out
there with them.”
League organizers,
grateful for any kind of
support, do not require
volunteers to show up
every week.
“You aren’t expected to
be there every weekend
or even all day,” Mark
said. “You do what you
can when you can. But
you’ll find that you want
to be out there as much
as possible. You get out
there, everybody’s having
a good time — cutting
up, acting goofy and enjoying
it. It’s a lot of laughs, and you make
some good friendships. You want to
be a part of that as much as possible.”
Brett concurred.
“It’s the best way to start your
weekend off,” he said. “You have all
the kids there so excited, and it’s like
God is shining through every single
one of them. It’s like God’s right
there having fun with them, laughing
with them. It’s amazing. I love it.”
Lori added: “It’s their time out.
That’s what I love about it. Everyone’s
on the same field, everybody’s
winning. They have a blast. It’s just
the best.
“This is baseball.”
To volunteer, call Kao at (940)577-
1848.
Email Erika at epedroza@wcmessenger.com.
Decatur, Bridgeport bands headed to Area contest
By BOB BUCKEL
WISE COUNTY
If you’re a 3A band program in
this part of Texas, you’re in the
toughest region in the state.
That’s not just hype. Two years
ago, the last time 3A bands could
compete all the way to the state
level, five of the top 10 bands at
state came from this region, including
Argyle, the 3A state champion.
So it’s no surprise that all nine
class 3A bands in last Saturday’s
UIL Region 2 Marching Contest in
Denton earned top ratings. Decatur
and Bridgeport High School bands
both took straight 1s from the three
judges in Saturday’s contest.
In 2A competition, Alvord and
Paradise both earned 1s while
Boyd took a 3. That afternoon when
the 5A bands marched, Northwest
earned straight 1s.
Bridgeport marched 63 students
at 12:15 while Decatur took the
field with 90 at 12:45. Both will
take part in the Area round this
Saturday at Denton’s Collins Stadium,
with Bridgeport marching at
11 and Decatur to perform at 1:15.
The top 10 bands will make the finals,
and four from that group will
qualify for State Marching Contest,
to be held Nov. 5-6 in the Alamodome
in San Antonio.
DHS band director Eric McNiel
said being in this region raises the
bar for everyone.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “It drives
us to push our kids harder, to make
it better.”
McNiel, who has been in Decatur
for 10 years but is in his first year
at the helm of the DHS program,
said his philosophy is a little different
from some.
“We’re really there to entertain
the crowd,” he said. “I don’t care
what the judges think of our show.
I want our kids to be successful,
but if we can get the crowd on their
feet, then we’ve done our job.”
The Decatur band got straight
1s at region — top grades from all
three judges.
“It was a pretty fun day for our
kiddos,” McNiel said.
Messenger photos by Joe Duty • Buy reprints at wcmessenger.com/reprints
MARCHING IN TIME — Decatur’s High School marching band and Bridgeport’s High School marching band each take to the field in competition in
Denton Saturday.
Decatur’s show is called “Nightscape”
and starts with a tune
called “Dusk” about the sun going
down. With the second number,
it “gets a little crazy” as the band
plays “Into the Night” — which is
basically about bad dreams but is
“pretty cool, actually.”
The third tune was composed
in honor of Shane Eichthaler, a
DHS student and trumpet player
who died along with his mom in a
car accident during Thanksgiving
break in 2007.
“It’s called ‘The Shimmering
Light,’ and it’s about the dawn of
a new day,” McNiel said. “It starts
out with a trumpet solo. It’s kind of
the sad part of our show, but then
the rest of it is about hope.”
The DHS band doesn’t use props
or fancy choreography. They just
work to march and play very well.
“We’re going to open up our sound
this weekend at the Area marching
contest and let it rip,” McNiel said.
“In a contest three weeks ago, the
judges’ comments said we were too
aggressive, so we backed off. Last
week, the judges said we were not
aggressive enough. So we’re just
going to open it up.”
Bridgeport High School band
director Hughlen White said his
band, too, focuses on playing clean
and marching well. The theme of
their show is “Beowulf” — a literary
hero from the Middle Ages.
“We came up with it last year
right after marching contest,”
White said. “Since we’re one-to-one
with Macbooks now, I asked the
kids to email me 10 ideas for shows
next year. I got several hundred
ideas.”
Over about six weeks, White, his
staff and the kids boiled them down
and decided they wanted to do
something that represented a hero.
“It was going to be a ninja,
a knight, some kind of warrior
theme,” he said. “Somebody said
what about Beowulf? The juniors
study it first thing their senior
year. So the process started in October.”
The band commissioned music by
composer Barry Hurt, a former Texas
high school band director who
understands UIL marching shows.
“He’s very accommodating to our
kids, our instrumentation and ranges,”
White said. “We put some visual
things in, a few body movements,
and made sure they fit with the
show. We try to let our playing and
our marching do most of the talking
for us. We use one microphone for a
piccolo solo, and that’s it.”
White says he and his staff try to
keep a healthy perspective on state
competitions.
“It’s a lot like athletics,” he said.
“You rarely see a program get good
overnight. There’s a formula, and
once you figure that out and how
to match your kids to it, you start
to make the right moves. You get
closer and closer every year. You
climb the ladder.”
White is in his fifth year in
Bridgeport.
Alvord, Paradise earn
‘ones and done’
With no competition this year beyond
regional, the area’s 2A bands
can heave a sigh of relief and focus
on halftime entertainment.
Alvord’s band earned two 1s and
a 2 at Region, for an overall 1, while
Paradise earned three 1s.
Second-year director Barry Janicula
said this was the first time
the 35-member Alvord band had
received a 1 at the varsity level.
“I am especially proud of these
students,” he said. “They had a
wonderful show and it’s so exciting
to see the band program headed in
the right direction. The band has
put in a lot of hard work, and I’m
glad the students had a positive,
enriching experience.”
The Bulldog Band’s show was
called “Mayan 2012” and featured
musical selections from “Carmina
Burana,” “Mars,” the “New World
Symphony” and the film “Avatar.”
The band this year also featured
a colorguard program for the first
time, with Karen St. Valentine
helping run that.
Janicula is in his second year in
Alvord ISD.
Bill Altz, band director at Paradise
High School, said his band
“did our best show” for the contest.
The seven-minute performance
featured the music of Green Day,
starting with a piece called “Holiday”
then a piece called “21 Guns.”
The third song was Bruno Mars’
“Runaway Baby.”
“We didn’t have sets or any of
that stuff,” he said. “We march and
play. The judges thought we played
and marched well.”
Paradise marched 66 students,
making it one of the bigger 2A
bands. Altz is in his eighth year
at the school, assisted throughout
that time by Dwight Hardin.
“The judges said it was a ‘very
musical performance’” he said.
“That was my favorite comment.
They liked that we played with
some expression and dynamics.”
Boyd’s rating was 2-3-3 for an
overall 3, with 30 students marching.
Billy Hazard is the director.
Email Bob at bbuckel@wcmessenger.com.