{"id":34372,"date":"2021-08-03T20:22:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-04T02:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/connie-mack-world-series-delivers-economic-emotional-boost\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T08:18:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T08:18:08","slug":"connie-mack-world-series-delivers-economic-emotional-boost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/connie-mack-world-series-delivers-economic-emotional-boost\/","title":{"rendered":"Connie Mack World Series delivers economic, emotional boost"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Ricketts
Ricketts Park was recently renovated and hosted the 2021 Connie Mack World Series. (Courtesy of Tyson Snyder)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

FARMINGTON \u2013 The Connie Mack World Series returned to Farmington after taking a reprieve during the first summer of COVID-19, but not without the usual fanfare that the area has grown accustomed to having when baseball comes to town.<\/p>\n

Last summer was the first year since 1965 that the tournament was canceled, said Tyson Snyder, general chairman of the Connie Mack World Series Committee.<\/p>\n

\u201cComing out of COVID we knew that the expectation was that we had to be bigger and better than previous years,\u201d Snyder said Tuesday.<\/p>\n

At the end of the 2019 series, the committee agreed on a project to renovate the field, including a completely new playing surface and a large seating renovation, Snyder said. That renovation was unveiled this year at the 2021 Connie Mack World Series.<\/p>\n

The tournament is made up of 12 teams, each with a 24-man roster aged 16 to 18. Snyder said that every year the list of Major League Baseball players who play in the Connie Mack World Series grows. The series brought attendees from at least 20 different states, and more than 60,000 tickets were sold for the 10-day tournament.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a long tradition at this tournament to house the players with families in the community,\u201d Snyder said. \u201cThese families take pride in showing these players all that the Four Corners area has to offer.\u201d<\/p>\n

The committee works with volunteer families around town to be host or foster families to traveling players who need a place to stay during the tournament. This year, 90 families, approved by a background check, signed up to host anywhere from two to six players at their home.<\/p>\n

Kacy Snyder, head of foster families for the Connie Mack World Series, said her family hosts four boys each year.<\/p>\n

\u201cFamilies do it for the community,\u201d said Kacy, who is Tyson Snyder\u2019s wife. \u201cOne of the best parts about this tournament is having foster families. Getting to know these other boys in your home, from anywhere between five to 11 days and how close you become to the players that it\u2019s like, \u2018How in the world could I become so attached to these players?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Kacy said the host families become the players\u2019 families and even become the players\u2019 own cheering section made up of \u201c12 to 25 other parents and siblings and kids yelling for them that they didn\u2019t have before.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Connie Mack does not help foster families fund their players, Kacy said the experience far outweighs the cost.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t explain to people what it\u2019s really like because it\u2019s an experience in your home, and you just can\u2019t explain because they\u2019re not your own kids, but when they leave, you\u2019re sad like they are your own kids,\u201d Kacy said.<\/p>\n

She added that once foster families get a taste, they are hooked and usually volunteer to host again the next year. She anticipates there will be a waitlist next year for families wanting to house players.<\/p>\n

\u201cPart of the tradition and part of the reason this tournament is so special is because of how this community steps up,\u201d Kacy said.<\/p>\n

\"Stands
Stands are full of spectators at one of the tournament games at Ricketts Park during the Connie Mack World Series. (Courtesy of Tyson Snyder)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

This year, the winning team was the Enid Majors from Oklahoma, but Farmington Mayor Nate Duckett said the community also comes out a winner.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe history of Connie Mack and Farmington is one of those treasured reflections that I think every person who has grown up here has,\u201d Duckett said. \u201cWhether it\u2019s been the high school baseball player trying to play in the Connie Mack World Series, or a host family, hosting players from all over the country, or a coach or a committee member, it\u2019s really ingrained in the fabric of what makes Farmington a special place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shana Reeves, director of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, said Connie Mack is one of the \u201cheartbeats\u201d of Farmington.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the time kids have the opportunity to join a youth baseball team they dream of playing in the Connie Mack World Series,\u201d Reeves said. \u201cOur community kids have the amazing experience of the tournament being hosted in their own backyards.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reeves said the tournament is nostalgic for different reasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor some, it\u2019s the highlight of their baseball career,\u201d Reeves said. \u201cFor some, it\u2019s the player from out of town that they\u2019ve hosted and watched grow with their family. For others, it marks the end of summer and the start of a new academic year. Whatever Connie Mack means to a community member here in Farmington, it leaves a lasting impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reeves said those who arrived as visitors often return years later.<\/p>\n

Farmington Chamber of Commerce CEO Jamie Church said the series is not only loved but also an important event in the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was thrilled to see the return of the CMWS as it gave our community the opportunity to celebrate the return of a very special event and also to show off what makes our community so awesome,\u201d Church said. \u201cThe players and their families bring important economic dollars to our community through hotels, restaurants, retail and shopping centers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Church also said the host families are \u201cour best ambassadors\u201d and said she knows that \u201cFarmington is always ready to roll out the welcome mat to these players and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n

Duckett said he\u2019s glad the series is back and has seen it boost theeconomy and collective morale.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust to see Ricketts Park jam packed with people, the restaurants filled, and the streets are busy and it feels good,\u201d Duckett said. \u201cThe city \u2026 expends an enormous amount of manpower, whether it\u2019s parks and recreation or law enforcement and other city services that are supporting this tournament, so there is definitely a cost associated with it, but I believe it is offset by the amount of commerce that happens during the tournament, the number of people who come from all over the Four Corners here, and the families who travel with players who stay in hotels. So it definitely has an economic and emotional benefit.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of Kacy Snyder\u2019s co-workers who hosted some players approached Kacy to tell her that hosting was one of the best experiences she\u2019d ever had, however she was a little upset.<\/p>\n

Kacy recalled what her coworker said: \u201cYou never told me how this experience was going to be, but it was one of the best experiences I\u2019ve ever done. But what you didn\u2019t tell me is that when they leave, how I would feel like I lost my own child. You didn\u2019t tell me I would be crying when they left.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that is what Kacy said is the coolest part of hosting \u2013 seeing the impact both the players and the families have on each other. Much like how the Connie Mack World Series impacts the Farmington community.<\/p>\n

mmitchell@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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