Police, Kids Face Off in Wacky Softball
It’s not just your average game of softball.
It’s wacky softball, where players run from first to third base, where they swing away at a 16-inch nylon ball off a tee with a Little League bat, and where they may be required to dribble a basketball.
Oxnard’s Police Activities League will host such a game in which kids, cops and others in the community will face off in a tournament today at Adair and Clark softball fields, across from the Performing Arts Center in Oxnard.
Sgt. Tom Chronister, who is in charge of the Police Activities League, said authorities hope the games will help young people see officers in a positive light.
“When you get kids that are at-risk,” Chronister said, “and they are playing with an officer that’s not in uniform, they find that officer is just a regular person, just like their mom and dad. These are people they can turn to and talk to. It’s reducing the fear factor for them.”
The games, which are free to the public, begin at 9 a.m. Seven teams will battle it out for the title of top wacky softball team. A championship game is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
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