Last Sunday the start of the men’s “beat and run” season, the next will be the other discipline: for the municipality, now the tradition can continue under the banner of internationality
The championships
/RONCHI
The baseball season kicked off last Sunday. Softball next Sunday. Two sports that represent a lot for Ronchi dei Legionari. Not only for their long history: from 1959 that of the Black Panthers, today New Black Panthers, from 1968 that of the Peanuts, today Stars. There are hundreds of people in the town playing baseball and softball. Major teams, both in Serie A, but also young, many talents who, over time, have also made themselves heard worldwide. A tradition, a baggage that the municipal administration cannot ignore, with its mayor Livio Vecchiet and with the councilor for sport, Erika Battistella who, for just over a year, has taken on this delicate task.
In recent days Battistella, together with the deputy mayor Paola Conte, held the baptism of the new season of the male “beat and run”. “After a few years of absence of a similar event – he said – the ritual has finally been resumed. Baseball represents a lot for our city and I can’t forget important names like Armando Filiput, Giordano Gregoret, Eligio Bertossi, Ennio Barbana and Renzo Ulian. Just to give examples. Sport is inherent in all Ronchesi and the presence of the various municipal administrations that gradually succeeded each other is strong, always close to the world of our city sport. The moment is delicate, but we are all busy weaving the canvas to obtain a good result. Let’s not give up and try to be close and present to the associations and sports clubs of our Ronchi dei Legionari ».
2021 will once again be under the banner of internationality. In fact, from June 27 to July 3, the stadium dedicated to Giordano Gregoret will host the European senior softball championship. «Many works have been done this year – said Battistella – and I am referring to the roof of the changing rooms and the construction of the new irrigation system. Now we focus on the arrangement of the lighting system and on other small interventions to the structures, also to better respond to safety regulations. As well as important works were carried out at the Enrico Gaspardis stadium, demonstrating how much weight and importance we give to the world of sport and youth growth ». The construction of the baseball stadium in Ronchi dei Legionari dates back to 1969. Then the Black Panthers team was promoted to Serie A and the Ronchese team was the first, in the whole Triveneto, to build a diamond dedicated to baseball. It was 9.30 pm on June 20, 1959, when the secretary Giordano Valenti drew up the minutes of the first meeting of the board of directors with which the Black Panthers baseball club in Ronchi dei Legionari was founded. President is Alberto Calligaris, then only 17 years old, while in the executive there are names that will then make the history of the citizen “beat and run”. It was 1968 when a group of people decided to found a softball team in Ronchi dei Legionari. The competitive activity began as early as 1969 with the official participation in the national championship and already in 1970 the team was promoted to Serie B. –
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