GRAVETTE — Girls fastpitch softball has become a powerhouse program in Gravette. In the past three years, Tony Kildow has spearheaded the transformation, taking the program from a half dozen rec-league teams to a full-blown softball organization. There are now 14 league teams with over 200 girls ages 4 through 16, as well as several competitive tournament teams. League play began the first week in April and the teams have a combined 50 game wins so far. In 10U, Gravette’s three teams are top out of 11 including Gentry, Colcord, Decatur, Jay and Little Kansas, Okla.

In 2011 Kildow started a 6U program for 4-6 year old girls.“By starting the girls in their own division early, playing with other softball teams, it really gives them a jump on their skills. T-ball is a good program but the number of girls involved was pretty low. We’ve seen a big jump in participation since the start of the 6U program,” says Tony Kildow.

This is the first year that the Babe Ruth organization has added 6U T-ball to the state tournament program. A 6U all-star team, coached by Bill Romine, went to Tulsa, Okla., this past weekend to play in their first tournament. The L’il Bandits posted two wins and three losses to their scorebook and came home tired but with lots of smiles and experience.

While Tony devotes hisattention to both baseball and softball (he coaches two baseball and two softball teams) this is his third year to manage the 10U Bandit travel team. The first few years he combined talent from surrounding towns but this year he’s focused on developing the Gravette group that will hopefully stay together and be a powerhouse in high school. Posting an 11-0 record so far this spring as a 10U-C USSSA team, the level of skill is improving every week. Kildow is quick to point out that he hasn’t done it by himself. He has a foundation of coaching parents that work exceptionally well together to support and teach the girls the love of the game through hard work, lots of practice and good teamwork.

The future of fastpitch softball is bright at Gravette and growing every day. The growth of the program is good, not only for the girls but also for the town. When a tournament is hosted at the Gravette park it brings in families from all over the four-state areas who get to see what a great town we live in. It also generates lots of sales for our restaurants, gas stations and shops. Tony encourages everyone to come out and watch a game, cheer on a team or just take a stroll through Pop Allum Park any night of the week and enjoy the ballpark. The parents, sponsors and city leaders make the dream possible and more support is always needed.

News, Pages 10 on 05/09/2012