Houston UYA hosts its first softball clinic

Houston UYA hosts its first softball clinic

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HOUSTON -- At the MLB Urban Youth Academy in Houston, Kayla Robinson is one of the best players on her team.

The 11-year-old first baseman has one of the highest batting averages, she steals the most bases, and she makes tough scoops look easy with her glove. The only problem is, less than three years away from what she hopes will be a successful high school softball career, Robinson has never even played softball -- she plays baseball. Along with her twin brother, Robinson has played baseball since she was 2 years old.

But on Saturday, Robinson finally got a chance to start familiarizing herself with softball when the Urban Youth Academy hosted a free softball clinic for girls in the fifth through eighth grades.

"This is so phenomenal that they're finally giving the girls a chance to work on their softball skills," Robinson's mother, Nataka, said. "It makes me feel so good that she's finally getting to play softball."

The idea for the clinic was conceived by Urban Youth Academy manager Daryl Wade, who has launched more than 100 clinics and camps for young baseball players since the academy opened but never before held a softball camp.

"We're trying to get them started at a prime age so they can have a chance to compete on a high-school level," Wade said.

As the former athletic director of Houston Independent School District, Wade is no stranger to the lacking of softball instruction among inner-city communities. Except for a handful of elite programs, the HISD schools have struggled mightily to compete in softball. The inner-city communities often lack the resources and instructional support to establish softball leagues that allow young girls to compete year-round, but Wade is convinced that there's no lack of interest.

At the first of what he hopes to be many softball clinics, there were more than 30 girls participating on the Urban Youth Academy fields at Sylvester Turner Park. The back-to-back Southwestern Athletic Conference Western Division champion Texas Southern University Lady Tigers and head coach Worley Barker were on hand to lead each station of the clinic.

Near the end of the clinic, just as the temperatures started to top 100 degrees, Houston mayor Annise Parker made an appearance to speak to the girls. As a former softball player, Parker offered words of encouragement and advised them to stay the course on the softball diamond.

"It's not only a sport that can get you in shape and physically fit, but it's a sport that can take you places," Parker told the girls. "You can get a college scholarship if you're good enough, and you'll build friendships that will last a lifetime."

Parker played the one -- and only -- season of varsity softball at Rice University as a first baseman and a catcher.

"It was right after Title IX, and we were so excited to get a program," Parker said with a smile. "But once we started, it was a little rough because we were competing against Texas A&M and UT [the University of Texas] in the Southwest Conference and we never won a game. But even through the struggles, we had lots of fun."

After speaking to the girls, Parker took the field with her glove and played catch with a few players for awhile and gave a few tips.

Also in attendance at the clinic was state representative Sylvester Turner and Bob Watson, a former MLB player, general manager and vice president of rules and on-field operations.

"These girls don't have the opportunities to play, and today is the first time many of them have even had any sort of softball instruction," Watson said. "But today is a huge step in the right direction for everyone involved."

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