Goal-orientated fun and games at Civitan Baseball Jamboree

OLIVE PARK — For most of the Hap Minor Baseball season, players were mainly concerned with team-orientated goals, like winning divisional championships.

But at the 56th annual installment of the Burbank Civitan Jamboree Saturday at Olive Park, it was a time for individual accomplishments at the Burbank Park, Recreation and Community Services event.

The day began with a parade from the Burroughs High parking lot that made its way to Olive Park for a skills competition.

The day of events Saturday marked the end of the season for the city’s premiere baseball league. Nearly 350 players from 45 teams took part.

In the skills competition, players took part in four events — hitting for distance; throwing for accuracy; baserunning and throwing for distance — and won awards for their accomplishments.

Revin Diego of the Sandoval Dodgers Elite was given the Jackie Arrington Memorial Award. Every year the honor is bestowed on an athlete who displays good sportsmanship, team leadership and an enjoyment for the game.

The Hap Minor program is the largest and oldest organized baseball league in the city. The league is designed for children in kindergarten through eighth grade. The city of Burbank offers noncompetitive T-ball divisions for kindergarten through second grades and competitive baseball for grades three-eight.

The city offers a variety of youth sports programs, instructional camps, sports leagues and special programs throughout the year. Recreational competition is provided for both boys and girls.