The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by the Bar Harbor Music Festival.
SOUTHWEST HARBOR—Rory Gordius became an all-star this summer.
The eleven year old from Southwest Harbor had the opportunity of a lifetime when he played baseball in Oneonta, New York, at the Cooperstown All-Star Village for a week of tournaments August 22 -27.
Rory’s plaque from the event calls out his “tireless dedication, exceptional skills, and strong leadership.”
He played against some of the top teams in the country that play together year round.
It wasn’t just that Rory was able to play with and against other outstanding athletes his age. He also got the opportunity to be coached by Joseph Gonzalez from Florida and Eric Schmidt from New York.
All of it happens to make an extraordinary experience for an athlete from Mount Desert Island and his family.
The Cooperstown website explains, “Stadium lights, iconic jerseys, and competition from across the country create a big-league atmosphere where every moment feels legendary.”
His teammates—12 other kids—came from all over the country (Texas, Tennessee, New York, Ohio, Toronto, Louisiana, Missouri, and Iowa) and the Bahamas.
“This group did amazing together and had an instant bond, their first couple innings in the first game were a little rough, some nerves (It was Cooperstown All Star Village!),” Rory’s mom, Alicia Gordius said, “but they quickly jumped into action and worked together like a team that had been playing together for years.”
They praised each other. They struck out. They encouraged each other. They missed a ball? Same thing.
“It was a beautiful thing to watch. The parents were awesome too! They started cheering for each others’ kids as if they’ve known them for years, as did the grandparents and siblings,” Alicia said.
At close to five-foot-three, Rory is considered tall for his age. He wasn’t tall in Cooperstown. There, he competed with kids his age up to age 13 who were already over 6-feet tall.
It didn’t matter.
There were 12 fields, 73 teams playing that week.
Day one was move-in day. The young athletes stayed in the players’ village with the coaches in a bunkhouse for six days! Games were played as early as 8 am and as late as 8 pm.
Then the games began. The next two days were pool play and the team played six games and hit a 50th seed spot for the tournament days.
“Pretty good for a team that has never played together!,” Alicia explained. “Then days 5-6 were tournament days.”
Rory’s team won their first two games, and lost their third.
Families stayed in short-term rentals or hotels and would meet up each day before games and sometimes have lunch together in between games.
Rory’s team impressed the people they encountered, not just because of the players’ athleticism or how they gelled together, but because of who they were as people.
“We had dinner as a group one night out, all thirteen kids, two coaches, and 31 parents/grandparents and siblings!” Alicia explained. “All the kids sat at a table together and an older lady went up asking them were they were from, usually most teams are all from the same area, then she asked for a picture with them all and came over to tell all of us parents what well behaved and polite children we have!”
Another aspect was pin trading.
Each team brought pins that were designed for their team to trade with all the other teams.
“Some pins are considered rare, and they might trade three pins for one. Some pins have sets. Kids would keep them in pin books or on pin towels. it was crazy watching it all unfold,” Alicia explained. “When kids weren’t playing ball they were trading pins. Parents, siblings, and even some grandparents would join in. Some would even offer money for rare pins. Kids were walking around and would look over another kids shoulder and be like ‘what you got.’ My husband said it was the oddest thing to watch over 800 kids trading pins and how it would all unfold and the negotiations that would go on with these 10, 11, and 12 year olds!”
One kid on Rory’s team sold his whole pin collection the last day for $500.
It was a learning and bonding experience that went beyond the field for Rory, who also does Karate year round and is getting ready to test for his Brown 1, which is one step from blackbelt. He plays baseball, football, basketball, golf, and runs cross country.
Alicia jokes that their yard looks like a training facility with sports stuff everywhere.
“My car is like a locker room!” she said.
But baseball?
Baseball is his favorite. That’s why there was no hesitation when the family found out about the opportunity.
Rory’s dad Jason said it was the opportunity of a lifetime.
“Unlike these other kids he was playing with our season is limited here in Maine but Rory is able to do some baseball in the winter on an indoor league at Sluggers and this past winter worked with a pitching coach in Lamoine,” Alicia explained.
That’s not all.
His Cooperstown coach was so impressed with his makeshift team that he’s already looking at other tournaments for Rory’s new team to attend.
HOW RORY GOT THE OPPORTUNITY
“If we didn’t have an organization like AYS (Acadian Youth Sports), then my son would have never had this opportunity to play at Cooperstown. He would have been waiting until sixth grade before ever starting baseball,” Alicia said.
Acadian Youth Sports gives kids in the Mount Desert Island region opportunities to play sports before school support teams.
“Acadian Little League is a not-for-profit group which desires to foster the ideals of good sportsmanship, honesty, loyalty, and respect for authority, so that participants develop into healthy and responsible adults. All provides a safe and encouraging environment, and welcomes players of all skill levels in the Mount Desert Island area,” its website explains.
“We are so lucky to have AYS as it provides an opportunity for these kids at a much younger age than we ever had growing up. It’s a great feeder program for the school sports and gives the kids something to do other than play on electronics. AYS kids can start baseball as early as six years old, and the other sports at eight years old,” Alicia said.
AYS never turns any family away for financial reasons, according to AYS Board President Tony McKim.
“Rory is a terrific kid and a wonderful participant and addition to our AYS family,” McKim said.
It’s not just Rory who has been terrific, McKim stressed.
”His mom has been a blessing to AYS as she has really aided our Executive Director Kyle McKim in making the AYS magic happen,” Tony McKim said.
AYS has a legacy of community building for Mount Desert Island kids that appeals to Alicia’s background.
“I have absolutely loved becoming a part of AYS helping Tony and Kyle with whatever I can and watch these kids grow, trying to help grow our numbers with each sport each season. When I was growing up each school was kind of separated, and the only time anyone ever got together was when there was a school dance, now kids have friends all over and they bond over the sports they love and building that bond with each other makes them better athletes. It’s like a high school reunion at most practices and games as we grew up with so many of the parents, and now we are getting to watch our kids grow together as they play,” she explained.
All photos courtesy of Alicia Gordius.
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Congratulations to a wonderful, talented and handsome young man