Del Norte County Recreation Department

The department operates several sports leagues & activities: Adult Softball leagues operate from June-November each year. Six years ago there were ten teams in the league. Upgrade of facilities and dedicated promotion by Mr. Horner 33 has steadily increased the number of teams. Last year thirty-two teams competed in the adult softball league with over 700 players. Also increasing is the number of adult softball tournaments. There are now six tournaments per year, up from one per year five years ago. The tournaments draw teams from out of the area, as far as Redding. These out of town teams fill local motels and restaurants during the tournaments. Improvements to Pike’s Field have been key to the increased tournament participation, as teams want to come to a well- maintained, top-notch facility.

Little League Baseball, involving 500 kids, also uses Pykes Field. Little League is run independent of the Recreation Department; the league rents the fields as needed.

Adult basketball leagues operate March – May each year. Over the past five years, interest has grown here as well, with the number of teams increasing from six to seventeen teams this year, involving almost 400 participants.

Adult indoor soccer has become very popular since the first league was organized three years ago. There are currently three separate leagues, with eight teams per league, operating throughout the year at the rollercade building at the fairgrounds. Over 250 adults compete in the indoor soccer leagues.

The Del Norte Tennis Association rents space at the rollercade building. The Tennis Association operates independent of the Recreation Department. The local roller derby club, the Tsunami Sirens, organizes an open skate at the rollercade on Friday nights. The facility is also rented on weekends for private skate parties.

The only youth sport organized by the Recreation Department is basketball. The youth basketball league is open to youth ages 5-12. (Middle schools have teams that serve older youth.) Games are held at the middle school gym, high school gym, and recreation gym. This popular program serves over 250 youth and employs over twenty-five teen coaches. Community support for youth basketball is very evident, with fifty-six local businesses & organizations providing sponsorships last year. The goal of the youth basketball league is to allow youth to have fun, and gain skills.

Independent of the Recreation Department, many local organizations are dedicated to youth sports, including Del Norte Youth Football (& Cheer), Del Norte Youth Soccer Association, Del Norte United FC soccer league, Del Norte Little League baseball, Del Norte Babe Ruth baseball, Del Norte Youth Wrestling, Crescent City Swim Club, and others. 34

The toughest issue the Recreation Department deals with is facilities. Repair and maintenance of facilities is costly, with many needed repairs and/or upgrades beyond the scope of the department budget. Another factor is simply not enough fields to accommodate interested teams. For instance, if there were additional softball fields, leagues and tournaments could expand. County and City officials had some discussion in the past of building a large sports field/ recreation area on old mill property behind Safeway, but that remains just an idea at this time.