The Windermere Little League is one of the largest in the state of Florida. Last season approximately 780 players from the age of five to sixteen participated in leagues from coach pitch for the youngest to senior ball which sometimes includes high school varsity players.
Windermere’s all-star teams achieved more in the post-season than any other Central Florida little league. The 11/12 boys all-star team played in the Florida State Championship, losing a close game to Plant City. The girls softball team, as chronicled on westorlandonews.com, proved itself one of the two best teams in the world. They made it as far as the World Series Championship game in Portland, but lost to a team from Albuquerque.
The town of Windermere will honor the girls team at 6:30 PM on Friday, August 24, in front of Windermere City Hall. That’s their latest honor in a whirlwind congratulatory tour of Central Florida that included VIP tours of the theme parks.
Joe Vargo, Windermere Little League President since 2008, is justifiably proud of his All-Star teams’ success.
“We’re very fortunate to celebrate every achievement of our All-Star teams,” Vargo said, “but our goal as a league is to make sure every player has a positive experience. We’re teaching life lessons through sports.”
The Windermere League boundaries contain enough families to require that they run two separate leagues. Each season, the managers draft new teams with the goal of making each league as competitive as possible. “We don’t try to put the best players together,” said Vargo. “We want to make sure every player has a chance to play and win.” As a result, Windermere fields two All-Star teams at every level.
Vargo, like all Little League Board Members, coaches, and umpires, is a volunteer. The league is a non-profit organization, relying on donations and fees to meet expenses. “I’m proud we’ve been able to hold our fees steady for the last few years,” Vargo said. “We’ve received a lot of support from our community and sponsors. We also have a scholarship fund; we want to make sure that everyone who wants to play can play.”
The League plays most of its games at Orange County’s Bailey Park, on Robertson Road west of McGuire. Softball games and some others are played on fields behind Windermere Elementary school on Main Street. Vargo and the league didn’t take a lot of time to bask in their all-star team’s success. The league is already accepting registrations for fall ball, which is considered more of an instructional season. You can find more information at their web site: www.windermerell.org
