Events Calendar
In This Section
Singletary helps KSU dominate MAC West
Flashes move up to No. 1 in MAC
Golden Flashes unable to rally against Eagles
Flashes hold off Eagles' late run
Defense stands tall among KSU recruits
Flashes aim for 400th win tonight
Golden Flashes rally again to claim victory
Area high school football recruiting report
Flashes take sole control of first place in MAC
Celebration short, Flashes move on
Most Read Stories
Blogs:
First Bell - On Education:
No City of Akron basketball tonight
Pets:
Pet telethon re-airs
The Heldenfiles:
Chipmunks "Squeakquel" on DVD/BD March 30
Akron Zips:
Late surge gives Zips ugly road win
Tribe Matters:
Blogmail response on Hafner
Cleveland Browns:
Stallworth's contract terminated
Balanced Ledger:
QB in Browns future: another mock draft
Kent State Sports:
KSU Notes – February 9
Cleveland Cavaliers:
NBA Power Rankings from Around the Internet
Buckeye Blogging:
Buckeyes grab 18 players on signing day
Varsity Letters:
Garfield at Buchtel basketball
All Da King's Men:
Palin At The Tea Party Convention
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Republican Pre-Conditions
Akron Law Café:
Citizens United v. F.E.C. (Part 4): Kennedy's and O'Connor's Basic Approaches to Constitutional Decisionmaking – Top Down and Bottom Up
Car Chase:
Collector Car Hobby Loses One of the Best—Jim Roll
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Decisions Decisions: Credit Cards or Your Mortgage?
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Loucile is looking for a Lake Erie getaway in June for three kids, ages 1, 3, and 5.
Sound Check:
Talk of the Town – Top entertainment picks for the weekend
HRLite House:
Track HR Research
Akron Gamer:
'Tecmo Bowl' recreation of Super Bowl XLIV
See Jane Style:
Do IT this week: Layering
By Bill Lilley
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 06:54 p.m. EDT, Apr 27, 2009
University of Akron relief pitcher Ryne Romick knows he easily could take a pass as a senior four-year letterman and let the younger kids do the extra work involved with Division I college baseball.
Romick, however, always is the first in line when it comes to volunteering to visit ailing youngsters at Akron Children's Hospital in connection with the annual Diamond Classic for Kids game between Kent State and the University of Akron.
The game is a ''bonus'' contest between two longtime rivals, played each year at Canal Park. This year's game, which will be played May 5, does not count in the Mid-American Conference standings.
But it still means a lot to the Zips and Golden Flashes.
Especially to Romick, a 6-foot-4 biology major who is on course to graduate at the end of the summer session.
A Marietta native, Romick knows what it's like to spend a lot of time in the hospital as a kid. Romick, 22, had asthma as a baby. When he was 4, leaks and blockages were discovered near his heart that required long stays in Columbus Children's Hospital for tests. He still goes in for tests each year.
''It's no fun for the kids and it's even more of a struggle for the parents when you have a kid in the hospital,'' said Romick, who was named after former Chicago Cubs second baseman Ryne Sandberg. ''I can remember going in for long stretches three to four times each year and it really took a toll on my parents.
''That's the main reason I'm always eager to visit the kids. I like to talk to the kids because I know what they're going through, especially when they've been in a long time. They lose the feeling of privacy over time. It's tough on them.
''And the bottom line is it's just not supposed to be happening. . .at this age in their lives. It's tough to understand that as an adult, and it's even tougher to understand it as a kid. I just hope we make them feel better and forget about their problems for a little while.''
The University of Akron and Kent State University both sent five players along with their head coaches to visit children at Children's Hospital Monday afternoon.
The 10 players split into two mixed groups and visited nearly 40 kids in the general patient sections and in the hematology/oncology unit, where they visited about 10 cancer patients.
The Zips distributed small rubber stress balls — ''The way our season is going, we have a lot of these on hand,'' said one player for the Zips (14-27) — and mini plastic batting helmets.
The Flashes brought their mascot.
Kent State University coach Scott Stricklin, who brought the idea north from his days as an assistant at Georgia Tech, is optimistic that the game will reach new heights in attendance and proceeds.
''We had just under a thousand the first year, 2,000 last year and this year we're hoping to have about 5,000 at the game,'' said Stricklin, whose Flashes (32-9, 13-4) lead the MAC East Division.
''I'm hoping we have a great crowd, but we realize most of it will be walk-up and that means the weather will have a lot to do with determining how big the crowd gets.
''Even though it's not a conference game, it's got a lot going for it. It's another game against our biggest rival, it's going to be played in a beautiful professional park and, at the end of the day, we'll be handing what we hope is a very large check to Akron Children's Hospital.''
Stricklin said the game raised $6,000 the first year and $26,000 last year.
''We're shooting to raise $30,000 this year,'' Akron coach Pat Bangtson said.
The hospital's special events coordinator, Sara Lundenberger, said that the proceeds from 2007 and 2008 went to the hospital's general fund, but this year's proceeds are targeted for school health services to provide nurses for Akron Public Schools and other area schools.
Bill Lilley can be reached at 330-996-3811 or blilley@thebeaconjournal.com.
University of Akron relief pitcher Ryne Romick knows he easily could take a pass as a senior four-year letterman and let the younger kids do the extra work involved with Division I college baseball.
Romick, however, always is the first in line when it comes to volunteering to visit ailing youngsters at Akron Children's Hospital in connection with the annual Diamond Classic for Kids game between Kent State and the University of Akron.
The game is a ''bonus'' contest between two longtime rivals, played each year at Canal Park. This year's game, which will be played May 5, does not count in the Mid-American Conference standings.
But it still means a lot to the Zips and Golden Flashes.
Especially to Romick, a 6-foot-4 biology major who is on course to graduate at the end of the summer session.
A Marietta native, Romick knows what it's like to spend a lot of time in the hospital as a kid. Romick, 22, had asthma as a baby. When he was 4, leaks and blockages were discovered near his heart that required long stays in Columbus Children's Hospital for tests. He still goes in for tests each year.
''It's no fun for the kids and it's even more of a struggle for the parents when you have a kid in the hospital,'' said Romick, who was named after former Chicago Cubs second baseman Ryne Sandberg. ''I can remember going in for long stretches three to four times each year and it really took a toll on my parents.
''That's the main reason I'm always eager to visit the kids. I like to talk to the kids because I know what they're going through, especially when they've been in a long time. They lose the feeling of privacy over time. It's tough on them.
''And the bottom line is it's just not supposed to be happening. . .at this age in their lives. It's tough to understand that as an adult, and it's even tougher to understand it as a kid. I just hope we make them feel better and forget about their problems for a little while.''
The University of Akron and Kent State University both sent five players along with their head coaches to visit children at Children's Hospital Monday afternoon.
The 10 players split into two mixed groups and visited nearly 40 kids in the general patient sections and in the hematology/oncology unit, where they visited about 10 cancer patients.
The Zips distributed small rubber stress balls — ''The way our season is going, we have a lot of these on hand,'' said one player for the Zips (14-27) — and mini plastic batting helmets.
The Flashes brought their mascot.
Kent State University coach Scott Stricklin, who brought the idea north from his days as an assistant at Georgia Tech, is optimistic that the game will reach new heights in attendance and proceeds.
''We had just under a thousand the first year, 2,000 last year and this year we're hoping to have about 5,000 at the game,'' said Stricklin, whose Flashes (32-9, 13-4) lead the MAC East Division.
''I'm hoping we have a great crowd, but we realize most of it will be walk-up and that means the weather will have a lot to do with determining how big the crowd gets.
''Even though it's not a conference game, it's got a lot going for it. It's another game against our biggest rival, it's going to be played in a beautiful professional park and, at the end of the day, we'll be handing what we hope is a very large check to Akron Children's Hospital.''
Stricklin said the game raised $6,000 the first year and $26,000 last year.
''We're shooting to raise $30,000 this year,'' Akron coach Pat Bangtson said.
The hospital's special events coordinator, Sara Lundenberger, said that the proceeds from 2007 and 2008 went to the hospital's general fund, but this year's proceeds are targeted for school health services to provide nurses for Akron Public Schools and other area schools.
Bill Lilley can be reached at 330-996-3811 or blilley@thebeaconjournal.com.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
Youngstown, OH
Posted 09:33 PM, 04/27/2009
Congratulations to both teams for coming together to benefit America's greatest resource: our children. I think it's great that the students take time in their schedules' to visit the kids and their families. And believe me, it makes a difference to the kids. They respect, and look up to the athletes, and can be all the difference in making a child's day brighter! Even though our schools' share an intense rivalry, when perspective and priority meet, wonderful things happen. Good job to the coaches and players for giving back!
