Advanced medicine made personal

Falls Athletic Complex hard, said Colan Wheat, SSYS president. But since then, they’ve returned to the four sports it offers: baseball, softball, football and cheer with more than 1,100 kids participating in 2022.

COVID did give the city time to install turf on five of the baseball and softball fields.

“It couldn’t work out, in a sense, more perfect for the park. And that’s the ironic part of this is that you can find the benefit of a complete disaster that happened across the world,” Wheat said.

The youth never saw an interruption caused by the installation of the artificial turf.

The goal is to replace grass and dirt infields with turf on the remaining fields. More netting around fields, new bleachers and sunshades over those bleachers will be installed by the city, he said.

“And if you don’t think that that gets people wanting to get involved in youth sports, especially baseball, and softball, I think you’re crazy. I think it absolutely creates energy amongst a sport that cannot be compared to anywhere else,” he said.

Last summer they hosted the first Braves clinic at the park, which brought Braves alumni to teach the youth baseball. The Braves Baseball Clinic will be hosted again this year on Aug. 3, with registration opening on Feb. 13.

Sandy Springs Youth Sports serves kids ages 4 to 12 years old in recreational sports, from beginner athletes to high-level participants, Wheat said.

Registration is open for softball and baseball at sandyspringsyouthsports.com.