By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

It is hard to use words to identify what the start of summer used to feel like as a kid.

Words are probably not what you need to remember it anyway.

The memories are powerful enough.

Winners of the 3rd annual Last Day of School Wiffle Ball Tournament was the team of Aleutian Taylor, Grady Peterson, Evan Jackson and Ron Dunfee.
Special to Portage Sports

Just close your eyes and let the nostalgic thoughts of the past come into focus.

The warm summer sun.

The voices of your closest friends.

The carefree feeling of not caring about what time it is.

For most of us, the memories are all we have left.

For a group of youngsters from Suffield and Brimfield, the memories are still being made.

On the final day of school, a group of boys raced home to start their 3rd annual Last Day of School Wiffle Ball Tournament.

Complete with a lined field, homemade trophy, 3-D printed championship rings and an official bracket to track all of the results.

No cell phones.

No laptops.

No devices.

Just kids being kids.

Summer was officially here.

The tournament began with a player draft and ended with the team of Aleutian Taylor, Grady Peterson, Evan Jackson and Ron Dunfee claiming the championship trophy.

Each year, the winning team signs the trophy, then it is passed on to the new winning team the following year.

They may be too young to know it now, but that trophy and its signatures is harboring memories of summer fun that they will never be able to recreate as they get older.

As much fun as the kids are surely having while playing, the memories from their afternoons together will bond them forever.

My hope is that others kids around the county will find similar ways to spend their summer days.

Get outside and make some memories.

Don’t let the wiffle ball boys be the only ones.