Giving back to the game she loves is all Connie Connors wants to do. As President of the Malibu Little League this past season, Connors oversaw 19 teams, 381 players, 19 managers and 38 coaches. It was the single largest amount of participants in the league’s history. Connors spends most of each day during the season at the fields at Bluffs Park.
Born in the Central Valley city of Dinuba, Calif. and raised in nearby Exeter, Connors came to Malibu in 1999 to raise her daughter, Kaitlyn, in an environment more conducive to her health situation. Born with no right middle lobe in her lungs, Kaitlyn needed a moister climate to help her breathe.
Now 19 years of age, Kaitlyn has become the pride and joy that Connors envisioned. While her daughter now pursues a college degree at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York and Los Angeles, Connors focuses her time on helping the youth of Malibu reach their dreams.
Connors has been involved with the Malibu Little League for the past 10 years. She has coached at all levels for baseball and softball and served as the league’s safety commissioner, softball umpire chair, vice-president and parent auxiliary. She is also a member of the Malibu Optimist Club.
In about two weeks, Connors and two other Malibu Little League community leaders, Dylan Ross and Hali Norries, will participate in Pepperdine University’s 9/11 commemoration ceremony as they read the names of the victims who lost their lives 10 years ago.
The Malibu Times met up with Connors as she reflected upon her first year as league President.
Talk about your first year as President of the Malibu Little League.
It was a challenge but I enjoyed it. The number of emails and phone calls were quite daunting. We have a great staff of 16 board members who work really hard and are committed.
It was a lot of fun. I’m at the fields five or six days a week. But the reward for me is when I come to the field and a kid knows your name, or a kid thanks you, or gives you a hand shake, or my favorite-a hug! That’s the whole reason why I am out here. It’s joyous to watch them play and be happy. And they are learning while playing, which is great. It’s all about the kids and for the kids. I love the kids and I love the sport. One of the most rewarding things for me is watching that “ah-ha” moment when it clicks mentally and physically for the child.
What would you like to see in the future for Malibu Little League?
I would like to see expansion with the fields. I would like to see more field space for our kids. Juggling 22 teams [19 baseball, three softball] is really difficult. They don’t get to practice as much. We don’t have dedicated field space for the number of teams that we have. So it’s hard. Two fields and that’s it. The dream of dreams would be to build a batting cage for the kids right across the street. So if you can’t get on the fields, you can at least go practice batting in the cages.
You created the Malibu Little League Hall of Fame and had the first inaugural class in June. What inspired you to do so?
I was thinking of all the coaches and managers who help develop, mentor and coach these 381 kids. It’s amazing to see all the time and energy these people put in so I thought we should honor them. There are coaches who have done this for years. We should recognize these people who over the years have done so much for kids. They are the silent heroes.
Michael Zweig [the hall’s first inductee] inspired me. He brought me in to coach. He is one of the most amazing men I have ever met in my life. John and Kathy Haag helped with defining the award and the ceremony meant the world to me. I feel we have started a positive tradition here. It’s very meaningful for our community.
What advice would you give kids as they move through the little league program?
The Ross Feikel award is near and dear to my heart forever. It’s for players who inspire others and have a positive attitude. The number one thing I was taught at a young age is “the only great sportsman is a great teammate.” Attitude is everything. I will take 15 not-so-developed kids who need development over MVPs any day of the week.