The Raptors

By Morgana Kennedy

I have an assignment deadline coming up in sports writing. It is to narrate a photo essay. This weekend I went out and shot pictures of the Raptors, a little league team in East-Cobb.

As I watched the six-and-under team take the field a lot of memories of playing sports as a child came flooding back. The boys wore gloves that seemed too big for their small hands, but they were much more coordinated than I was at that age.

They stood in a line and warmed up by throwing to their fathers and coaches. John Bretti is the team's coach and father of one the boys.

"Ultimately what we're looking to do for the practices and the games is to develop the kids to enjoy being a part of a team," Bretti said.

His goal is to shape the boys into team players and to teach them to respect working with each other and listening to their coaches. He hopes this will help them as they progress.

Bretti had them meet him at the mound for a pre-practice pep talk, and then he sent them to home plate to practice running the bases. The boys held their hands up in the air as though they were holding a bat and swung. Parents cheered as the boys did their best to hustle to first base.

I really enjoyed getting to watch the practice, and I took some really great action shots. I'm excited to share my project when it is finished.