Area Parents Reminisce on Weekends Without Summer Little League Schedule

CHARLOTTE - Dave and Cindy Knobnoster enjoyed 2020 as much as anybody could during a global pandemic.

With schools and summer camps closed last year, the Knobnosters were able to spend more time together at home, a break from their usual summer routine of shuffling off to baseball practices, games, and tournaments across the country for their two boys, Zach (8) and Jason (11). 

“No doubt about it COVID-19 was and continues to be a major issue across the globe,” Cindy Knobnoster said from a lawn chair at Zach’s Independence Day Tournament in Raleigh this past weekend. “But we’d be lying to you if we said it didn’t have some silver linings.

”Three hours away in Norfolk, VA, Dave echoed his wife’s sentiment as he watched older brother Jason’s sixth tournament game in two days.“We’ve been pulling double duty like this ever since the boys started playing, but last summer was so nice,” Dave said.

“No weekend trips or 10-hour days in the scorching hot sun eating nothing but the concession stand cheeseburgers and Gatorade. God, I miss the indoors.”

The Knobnosters are just two of many parents getting back to the ball diamond this summer, as recreational leagues and parks around the country are opening up and returning back to “normal.”

That change, while a welcome sight after one of the worst years in our country’s history, comes just as the Knobnosters were getting used to a “paranormal” lifestyle.

“Sure it was a weird time for everybody, but it really just became the best thing, especially after the nightmare that home school was,” Cindy said. “Not one weekend was spent traveling to some small rural town looking to establish who the best little league team in central North Carolina area was.”

Dave echoed his partner of 12 years, saying “why I ever pushed my boys into sports, I will never know.”

“I wish I could go back and just get them into piano lessons or a coding boot camp instead,” he added. “You know, inside stuff.”