Around the Island

Bucks players looking for host families

JO ANN KIRKLAND PHOTO | The Bucks are appealing to the community for host families to house players.
JO ANN KIRKLAND PHOTO | The Bucks are appealing to the community for host families to house players.

Six weeks to go and eight beds to find.

That’s the challenge for Shelter Island Bucks General Manager Dave Gurney.

The six weeks is the time before the Bucks  gear up for a summer of baseball. The eight beds are needed for players who come from all around the country to spend the summer here playing for the Bucks, the Island’s team in the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League.

Mr. Gurney is reaching out to prospective “host families.”

The families who have hosted the young men in the past have come away with truly positive experiences and memories.

Their basic obligation is to provide a bedroom, some space in the refrigerator for a player to store some food and the ability for players to wash their uniforms.

They don’t have to provide transportation for players, Mr. Gurney said.

In the past three seasons, hosts have generally provided some meals and usually formed a bond with players that have transcended the baseball season.

The Bucks, in return for Island hospitality, not only provide entertainment by playing at Fiske Field, but also hold various clinics to work with local students on their baseball skills. And more than one host family has been grateful for a Bucks player taking the time to work with their own budding baseball player on a one-on-one basis.

If you’re interested in exploring the possibility of hosting a Bucks player or two this year, get in touch with Mr. Gurney at [email protected] or phone 433-1502.

The Bucks are also looking for anyone who is willing to volunteer time at games to cooking, selling merchandise, game day set-ups and/or day-to-day operations for the team.