Giving back to those who give to them

When it comes to getting outside for the start of the spring sports season, most teams are all in the same boat.

It’s just flat docked for the time being.

While some teams battle for time in the gym for practice, the Timberlake High baseball team opted to do a little something different to help the community around it.

INSTEAD OF a normal baseball practice on Wednesday, players from Timberlake spent time packing backpacks for the Rathdrum Lions Backpack Nutrition program.

“I heard about the program through Becky Randles, who started the program in 2012,” said Timberlake baseball coach Cameron Knigge, who also works with Randles as the general manager of the Northern Lakes American Legion baseball program. “She’d mentioned things about the program and I asked if there was anyway Timberlake baseball could help, and she told us, ‘Of course.’”

The program helps 140 kids in the Lakeland School District each weekend. The backpacks contain cereal, nondairy milk, snacks, juice, fruits and two lunch items.

“Honestly, I think it opened the kids’ eyes to the amount of kids in just one school district that need help getting food on the weekend,” Knigge said. “It costs $32,000 to run the program each year, and that was eye opening to them. I had a few of them comment on if this is just our district, just imagine other districts in our area that are bigger, and what this program would have to look like in those large districts.”

Knigge is a Lewiston product. His father, Kent, coached in the Lewis-Clark American Legion program. Cameron Knigge hopes this becomes a yearly tradition.

“My dad taught me the value of giving back to the community or communities that help support our program,” Cameron Knigge said. “Without their help of passing levies or donations, we wouldn’t be able to do the things that make our field nice, or purchase equipment that we need. I want to instill in them that helping others is a good thing, and that you also don’t need to expect things in return for helping. But more often than not, people will remember the good things you did, and willing to help out in the future.”

THE BIGGEST help that area teams can ask for right now, that will have to come from Mother Nature.

“We have not stepped outside to even play catch on the grass or parking lot like we’ve done in the past,” Post Falls baseball coach Mick Zeller said. “We are getting cabin (gym) fever very badly.”

At Post Falls, the Trojans have been utilizing two gyms and batting cages. That is, when they’re not already in use.

“It’s tough to find space for three teams to practice while sharing with the track team, tennis and golf,” Zeller said. “The varsity has been going later in the evening so that we have more space and more time. We still have no idea who can catch a fly ball or throw further than 94 feet.”

Post Falls is scheduled to open the season with a doubleheader at Chiawana High of Pasco, Wash., next Friday.

Timberlake was scheduled to open this weekend at Orofino. That, like a lot of other games in the coming days, was postponed.

“We’re working on fundamentals right now and honing our footwork,” Knigge said. “I have to be creative and find different types of drills to keep their attention while practice in a gym. At some point, we’ll be able to move outside into the parking lot to take ground balls and be able to play long toss. For now, I’ll think warm thoughts.”

Knigge added it’s likely the team won’t be on a field until March 29-30, when Timberlake travels to Payette for a tournament.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at (208) 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JECdAPress.