Little League softball is not new

To the editor:

(re: “South Riverdale Little League looks to empower young girls,” April 20)

I have two sons — now 14 and 19 — who participated in South Riverdale Little League baseball, and my organizations have sponsored teams for many years. 

First the Cyber Surfers when I worked at the New York Public Interest Research Group, and then through the Kingsbridge Riverdale Van Cortlandt Development Corp., for most of the years I have been its executive director.

For the last few years, KRVC has sponsored a girls softball team as mentioned in a recent story. 

I was really surprised to read in the story that the softball league was started from scratch in 2014, especially since The Riverdale Press has covered the SRLL softball division since its inception in 2004. I had no idea that the one started back in 2004 had ended.

I know it thrived for many years, and dozens of girls who participated went on to play at Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy, other high schools and colleges. 

There was even a travel team that competed throughout Manhattan and Westchester.

I am not an historian, but I know that a number of dedicated volunteers worked hard to start the softball league in 2004, and the recent story suggesting that the softball division is newly created does a disservice to those people and the hundreds of girls who played in the league over the years.

This is not to take away from the current leadership. 

I feel grateful to live in a community with so many other dedicated parent leaders, and hope that the present leadership will be as successful as the prior one, and give as much to the young women in our community. 

I am sure they are and will, because I know many of them well. I know how hard they work, and how dedicated they are. 

What we all accomplish together is amazing, and makes our community special for all our kids.

TRACY McCABE SHELTON