West Forsyth Baseball Team Motivates Young Ballplayer
Like most 12 year old boys, John Medlock dreamed of being a baseball player. But for John, he has struggled with health issues throughout his childhood.
John has moved 5 times in his short life and has not been able to play any sports due to a condition that made his bones extremely brittle. When his team of doctors finally gave him the green light to have some fun and play some games, John jumped at the chance to play baseball.
He saw it as a way to meet other kids his age and for the first time in his life be part of a team. That team is the Midway Hurricanes.
It hasn’t come easy though. Starting a sport “later” in life has its challenges as he sees the other boys being better than he is and some kids and parents not being patient with the time it takes him to get up to speed with the game.
Here is where the West Forsyth baseball teams and their coaches engaged. John was introduced to the coaches and the team by his neighbor. The goal was for John to watch the “big boys” play but he got even more than he could ever imagine. Not only did the players come out to meet him, Coach Pruitt had a West baseball cap ready for him and a ball signed by all the players. The team took the time before their game versus Habersham Central to take the above photo with him and give him words of encouragement. John sat in the stands, wearing his West baseball cap proudly, and watched the Wolverines beat their conference rival Wednesday night.
It didn’t stop there. Several of the Varsity and JV players later texted the neighbor with stories of their own about overcoming obstacles and wanting to help John with his baseball skills and wanting to attend his games. When John saw the texts - he was a new kid. Upbeat, motivated, and for the first time excited to go to school saying to his parents “I like it here. I feel like I have a million guardian angels.”
The West Forsyth baseball players enjoyed meeting John, and are thankful for the opportunity to show him support and encouragement as he embarks on his baseball career.
Sometimes the biggest victories in life can’t be measured by a scoreboard.
