The Broken Bow Spirit softball program is celebrating its 20th season this year. The program has certainly grown in numbers and interest during the years now encompassing divisions that range from as young as 10U up to 18U. The development of the program has also shown itself in the area of competitive balance with other teams. Spirit softball manager Sarah Russell shared with KCNI/KBBN radio that the ability to go to tournaments and compete at a high level is one of the most notable attainments she has seen during her time with the program.
“Just it’s amazing to see how much they have grown in the level of competition. So, you know, we play teams from all over the state and absolutely compete with some of these bigger programs and we hang right along with them. So just the level of play is so impressive. You know we draw kids from all across Custer County. So it’s not just Broken Bow it’s Mason City and Ansley, Callaway, Merna, you know we’re pulling kids from all over and so it’s fun to see them come together and build to that level”
The “Spirit of the Sandhills Summer Shootout” youth softball tournament will take place June 19-21. This will mark the eighth year that Broken Bow has hosted the tournament. The tournament has continued to grow over the years. Tom Griffith, one of the tournament organizers, shared with KCNI/KBBN what the tournament field will look like this year.
“We’ve got 42 teams coming in. That includes our Spirit teams but it’s going to be busy up there for the whole weekend. We’ve got a lot of good teams coming in from Lincoln and Omaha. I don’t know that we have a Scottsbluff team this year but in years past we have. We’ve got North Platte, we’ve got Lexington, we’ve got I think one McCook team and several other teams that I’m not sure where they’re from but this definitely draws in a lot of people.”
Volunteers are always needed to help with various aspects of the tournament. To assist with this year’s tournament and to see what different jobs are available click here
