This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Sports

Local Softball League Returns Home

The Glover Park Co-ed Softball League will once again begin playing games on Stoddert Field, beside Stoddert Elementary School.

On any Sunday over the summer, residents living around Stoddert Elementary School know where their neighbors will be: on the softball field. They will be enjoying cold beer, lounging in the sun, visiting with friends and watching the Glover Park Co-ed Softball League play.

The once-familiar scene has been absent from Stoddert since 2009, when a school renovation forced the league to play elsewhere. On June 12, GPCSL returns to Stoddert Field, its home of 28 years. And many members are happy about the upcoming return.

“I didn’t think the league would survive. Without diluting or disrespecting the term, Stoddert became a sort of ‘hallowed ground’ for the League,” Larry Thomas, founder of Larry’s Kids, a team in the GPCSL, said in an email. “Stoddert was ‘home’; it was like a magnet that drew people back each week in the summer.”

Find out what's happening in Georgetownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Founded in 1982 by Michael “Crash” Crescenzo, the GPCSL is the oldest running independent softball league in D.C., according to its website, gloverparksoftball.com. The 10-team league has around 150 members. The average age is close to 40, and some members have been playing since the league began.

“For 30 years the GPCSL has created an environment of community and friendship among its players. There are literally 50 or more players who used to live in GP [Glover Park] who still play each and every Sunday and have for 10, 15, 20 years,” Crescenzo said in an email. “There have been countless friendships fostered, and at least 10 marriages. Children have played with their parents; brothers and sisters have played together.”

Find out what's happening in Georgetownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Crescenzo's daughter Jennifer made a documentary about the league in 2007, which echoed the themes of community.

The league was created when area locals found they had enough people joining in on informal play a few nights a week to start an official league, playing exclusively on Stoddert Field, said Nick Coston, the league's commissioner.

In 2009, Stoddert Elementary was remodeled and portable classrooms were placed on the softball field to accommodate students during construction, Coston said. The league was forced to move to Jellef Field and then Guy Mason Field, according to gloverparksoftball.com.

The GPCSL plays all games on Sundays, starting at 2 p.m., with each team playing around 14 games each summer. Their season starts during the first week in April and ends the last weekend in July with a playoff tournament, which is usually the highlight of the summer, Coston said.

Coston and other league members describe Sundays during the summer as days when families come out with lawn chairs and coolers and spend a day watching softball and talking with friends.

“It’s a fantastic balance of competition and camaraderie. A large number of folks have been in the league for 10-plus years so there’s a wonderful sense that everybody knows each other. It makes you want to come early to watch other teams, and stay late to see the other games after yours is over,” said player and coach for GPCSL team the Free Agents, Mark Bultman.

Coston sees the league as a way for the community to connect. He said even people who don’t play come out to watch the games, and eventually, everyone with a home around the field becomes fans of the league in some way.

The league has also done its part to give back to the community, cleaning up trash and putting money into the field for sod and foul poles that all who play on the field can use, Coston said.

Overall, the GPCSL members describe the league as an environment for friends and community, and as something that many people stay involved with for their entire lives.

“People have grown old, fat and happy playing here and made friendships that will remain with them for the rest of their lives; even though the intention was always just to play softball. People have gotten married to one another, have families and keep coming back. It’s very cool,” Thomas said in the email.

To view the GPCSL’s schedule or for more information about how to get involved, visit the team’s website gloverparksoftball.com or like their page on Facebook.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?