Chris Kish and Chris Glenn: Fostering bonds beyond the dugout

Chris Kish and Chris Glenn share more than a first name. The Hughesville baseball and Montgomery softball coaches share not just a passion for the games they coach, but for seeing scholastic players chase their athletic dreams.

So when COVID-19 and Gov. Tom Wolf's mandate ended the spring high school seasons before they started last April, both Kish and Glenn thought more about the kids than themselves. And their thoughts went beyond Hughesville and Montgomery. They both felt horrible that athletes throughout the region could not play the games they love.

So they did something about it.

Kish and Glenn were the driving forces behind starting baseball and softball leagues last summer, which put those kids back on the fields and gave them a taste of what they missed in the spring. Kish created the Hughesville Town League and Glenn started the Elm Park League.

For their efforts, Kish and Glenn are among the nominees for the Sun-Gazette Person of the Year Award.

"Ultimately, in the grand scheme of things, the entire thing was to give all the kids an opportunity to compete one last time with their buddies," Kish said. "The great thing about it is the amount of community support all the teams had. It speaks volumes about the area -- not as individuals, but as a community of people coming together. There's so much going on in the world and we were able to co-exist for the betterment of the kids and forget about everything that was going on for a few hours."

"I was crushed seeing the reactions of my players, especially my two seniors, and thinking about all the other kids from the other teams, it was just devastating," Glenn said. "It's big because every year is special, every year is important and you hate to see it go by the wayside for anyone. I took a deep breath after it (the summer league) was over. I'm thankful that it was able to come off and work the way it did and that the kids got the opportunity they did."

Kish began thinking about providing that opportunity April 9 when sports were canceled. He contacted schools throughout District 4, but many did not receive the backing of their administrations to play. Many could not host games either, because their baseball fields were on school property.

Hughesville, however, plays at Bodine Park, a borough-owned field. The borough provided the green light, insurance was purchased and when Lycoming County went green in June, the wheels really were set in motion.

Kish had a lot of help from Loyalsock Coach Zac Martin, Warrior Run Coach Harold Raup and Central Mountain Coach Mike Kramer. Those three brought their community teams into the league and a four-team league was established with games being played on Mondays and Thursdays. Mill Hall also had a public field as did Warrior Run, so games were played at those three locations.

"I'm incredibly indebted to the borough for letting us use Bodine. The game changer was having a field to use and more fields started to become available as the summer went on," Kish said. "But the main thing was Zac Martin, Harold Raup and Mike Kramer helping because, if not for them, we would not have been able to do it. For me, it was more about the time not spent together and the thing I'll take most from the entire experience was the time with the guys."

The other coaches felt the same way and the league produced some outstanding baseball. The league culminated on Aug. 1 with an all-day, two-field tournament. Hughesville and Loyalsock both won exciting semifinals before Hughesville rallied from three down and defeated Loyalsock for the championship.

It was not the high school season, but it started feeling like one. And bonds went beyond each dugout. Because they played against each other a lot, players and coaches grew closer and established friendships.

They also frequently played in front of large crowds. For people who had been cooped up inside for so long, this league was a welcome release.

"In between the lines, these are competitive kids and they are competing hard, but you got to familiarize yourself with the coaches and the players," Kish said. "We built a ton of respect for all three of those guys and the programs they coach because we had the opportunity to interact with them so much and that was rewarding."

Glenn and his league's fellow members can relate. Like Kish, Glenn turned his attention toward simulating some kind of season for District 4 players last April 9. It was an arduous task and one Glenn thought ultimately would not pay dividends.

But when the county went green, Glenn suddenly was bombarded by excited coaches and the vision grabbed hold. Nearly 20 teams joined the league, so many that games expanded beyond Elm Park to Turbotville, Jersey Shore and Sunbury. It caught on so quick that those outside District 4 wanted in as well and Glenn admitted Berwick and Bellefonte into the league.

Then the work really started and Glenn was a one-man machine at times, making schedules, working on fields, getting umpires to the games and trying to coach. It was all worth it, too.

"Once they heard we could play, my phone literally was ringing non-stop. I was getting emails, phone calls, text messages ... it was just going crazy. I went from coming home from working and being bored to literally being up 'til late," Glenn said. "It took a lot and there were some obstacles and those first few weeks were just so busy. I'm thankful it was able to work and the kids had the opportunity to play. Seeing them excited and happy was great."

So was the competition.

The teams were not playing for medals -- just the love of the game. But as in the baseball league, these softball teams went after each other hard. There were many rivalry games and many exciting games.

Each Wednesday, players from around Central Pennsylvania were able to showcase the skills that have made this region such a softball hotbed. More importantly, they experienced all those precious times with their friends they thought had been erased by the stroke of a pen in April.

They did not get their high school seasons back, but those Elm Park League players experienced something positive. They and the members of the Hughesville League had something bright to help guide them through the darkness.

For a few hours each game and practice day, they were able to feel like kids again.

"I really think the kids need the structure, need to be able to compete. It helps them in school, too. They're used to that discipline and having that taken away is not a good thing so it was important to try and give them the opportunity," Glenn said. "I'm absolutely, positively super pleased how it turned out and am so happy the kids were able to be kids and have fun."