NORTHGLENN, Colo. — Young athletes in the north metro area are facing an unexpected hurdle just days before they are set to hit the baseball field for the start of the season: their equipment has vanished.
North Metro Little League — a longstanding nonprofit serving the communities of Westminster, Broomfield, Thornton and Northglenn — was left reeling after discovering that three of its storage containers, which held everything needed to play the game, were stolen from its local field.
"We have people coming back year after year. We have kids in our league right now whose older siblings played 15 years ago. We have some kids whose parents even played," said Nicole Aguilar, president of the North Metro Little League Board of Directors, emphasizing the deep-rooted connection the league has within the community.
The theft was discovered just one week ahead of the league's scheduled first practice when organizers arrived at the Mike Lansing T-ball Fields for a pre-season meeting. What they found were empty spaces where their containers had been, bolt holes and traces of cement dust.
"It was immediately heartbreaking... Literally everything was gone," Aguilar lamented.
The stolen containers held vital gear for five teams, including helmets, bats, coaches' gear bags, practice balls, first aid kits and more. Additionally, essential operational and maintenance items were lost, further compounding the league's woes.
"We do everything we can to make sure that it's affordable, so anybody who wants to play can. So, we don't have money to go out and buy gear for two entire divisions," Aguilar explained.
North Metro Little League
Two of these containers had been securely bolted to a cement pad, while the third was fastened to a fence with a heavy-duty construction chain and padlocked.
Aguilar expressed disbelief at the audacity of the thieves, speculating, "I can't imagine what kind of tools they had to do that... I'm thinking they backed a truck up to it but that's just a guess."
This unfortunate incident follows a previous break-in last season, where one of their containers was vandalized. Although nothing was stolen on that occasion, the cost of repairs was significant for the nonprofit.
Despite the setback, Aguilar remains optimistic, relying on the support of the community to pull through. With over 60 kids signed up for the league, organizers are determined to find a solution in time for the upcoming practice.
"We don't think it will delay us. It's just more frustrating that we can't do it right from the beginning," Aguilar expressed.
In an effort to recover, Aguilar has been scouring second-hand stores for gear, while other leagues in their division have offered donations of extra gear they aren't using this season.
Additionally, North Metro Little League is accepting donations from the public.
Aguilar hopes to have everything in place for the league's opening day on April 13th, ensuring that despite the adversity, the children can still enjoy the sport.
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