New Mexico State Champion Desert Dawgs

Desert Dawgs Team: Morgan Arsenault, Brayden Balok, Blaise Chavez, Kaidyn Dearnley, Lorenzo Diaz, Kole Eriacho, Donald Good, Dylan Joines, Aeneas Lewis, Noah Pozerick, John Toadlena, Raeden West, Aiden Yazzie Coaches: Danny Diaz, Eric Diaz, Derrick Chavez

Youth traveling sports teams, in this case baseball, is never an easy endeavor. It takes time and commitment from the coaches, parents, and players. It has truly been an adventure for the Desert Dawgs 13U traveling team. When we embarked on this journey two years ago, there was a mix of excitement and doubt. Are we going to have enough people willing to travel to Albuquerque every weekend for 3 months straight? Will we have enough time to practice regularly in between the weekend games (while working around school activity schedules from four different middle schools)? It turns out that we did with help and support along the way. It was not easy, each young man rough around the edges in some facet of the game, took their beatings, but they never gave up. They always came back better than the week before. The first season we did not have one regular season win. At last year’s state tournament, we managed a couple of hard-fought wins and lost in the semifinals. It gave us the momentum we needed to go into the next season. This season we finished two games above .500 at nine and seven and won the 13U USSSA State Championship. We may not have had the fastest pitcher or the homerun hitter but we did have the best team. To see these boys work hard week after week as one unit has been truly amazing. When we started this team, we set goals for each young man: hard work, teamwork, and perseverance. As they get ready for high school, they will move on and play different sports or join clubs and try new directions. Hopefully they can apply their experience of these past two seasons on the baseball field and apply themselves in their new endeavors in life just as they did those two magical summers…with or without a ring. Thank you to all the families for their support these past two years. We could not have had a successful traveling team without you. We would especially like to thank Scott Hanks from Marathon Petroleum, Perry Null, and the Balok family for sponsoring our team.

Relax in the Pines Kamp Kiwanis

Kamp Kiwanis is just 18 miles Kamp Kiwanis south of Gallup off Hwy 602. Kamp Kiwanis is just 18 miles south of Gallup off Hwy 602. We rent our We rent our facilities for:

Kamp Kiwanis is just 18 miles south of Gallup off Hwy 602. We rent our facilities for weddings, family reunions, meetings, picnics Kamp Kiwanis Relax in the Pines Southwest District Kiwanis Foundation facilities for: • weddings • family reunions • meetings • picnics • weddings • family reunions • meetings • picnics www.kswdfoundation.org Facilities include: lodge and kitchen, dorms for 160, nature trails, chapel, picnic area, and much more! Facilities include: lodge and kitchen, dorms for 160, nature trails, chapel, picnic area and much more! Southwest District Kiwanis Foundation www.kswdfoundation.org Contact Krista McDonald for a tour or reservations at 505-778-5764

July 26 - 28