By Cara Goldstone
With a window overlooking 10 acres of synthetic turf and a stunningly organized desk, the office of Lake Forest Recreation Department athletics program manager Anthony Anaszewicz evokes an air of clear focus and athletic passion—which is exactly what his restructuring of the Lake Forest Baseball and Softball program has brought to town.
Until recently, the baseball program has only maintained house leagues: teams whose play is local. Anaszewicz, who has worked as the athletics program manager in Lake Forest for almost 20 years, has teamed up with volunteer parents from the former Lake Forest Baseball Association (LFBA) to bridge the gap between travel and house baseball, transforming the organization to Lake Forest Baseball and Softball.
“We have a community-based program for every child, whether they’re in kindergarten and have just picked up a ball and glove for the first time or they’re 14 years old and wanting to play 60 games a year," says Anthony Anaszewicz.
Rolling the girls' softball program into the organization allows the house and travel softball teams to benefit not only from a group of parent volunteers from the softball side but the professional guidance of the baseball volunteers but also . This board of dedicated parent advisors will now, as Anaszewicz puts it, “help drive the mission of Lake Forest Baseball and Softball.”
In addition to the merging of the programs, Parks and Rec welcomed two paid professionals to oversee its operation: Madison Johnson, an internationally recognized softball player, and Sean Carroll, a longtime director at the former LFBA. The inclusion of a professional director has always been a standard of the LFBA, but until the restructuring, the softball program simply wasn’t big enough to support a dedicated position of that nature. In the past, full-time employees like Anaszewicz, along with his team; Ken Pierini and Jason Olson, helped to direct the softball & baseball programs —but all this has changed with the expansion.
Now, with dedicated professionals involved to direct both programs, Anaszewicz is certain “their experience will help drive the program. Our director of softball is an ex-collegiate player who played in Switzerland … our baseball director has similar collegiate baseball playing experience and coaching experience at a high level. They have these specific skill sets that we don’t, and they’ve been through these types of programs we’re offering themselves. We know those experiences will come with them and bring that specialized program design for us.”
Currently, Parks and Rec serves over 180 youth softball and baseball players; with the restructuring of the program, Anthony expects a big increase in participation. “We have a community-based program for every child,” he emphasizes, “whether they’re in kindergarten and have just picked up a ball and glove for the first time or they’re 14 years old and wanting to play 60 games a year.”
More children than ever before will have the opportunity to chase their athletic dreams with the help of the Lake Forest Recreation Department. “We feel like the path to play baseball or softball is no longer jagged,” Anaszewicz said. “You just come play in our program, and we’ll find the right spot for you.”
Registration for spring programs is open now at lfparksandrec.com