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The Piratas Little League team traveled from its hometown of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico to get a taste of Newark this past weekend through the North Ward Center’s Little League Sports Exchange program, now in its 24th year.
The Piratas played the Roberto Clemente All-Stars on Friday, June 10, and the Project Pride and Newark All-Stars teams on Saturday, June 11 at the Stephen N. Adubato Sr. Recreational Complex in Branch Brook Park.
Members of The North Ward Center's Little League congratulate members of Piratas visiting from Puerto Rico as part of a cultural exchange program.
“The kids from Puerto Rico that participate in this program are the champions in their league and their prize is to travel here to Newark,” said Tave Padilla, co-director of the North Ward Center’s Youth Development and Recreation Program. “This program is not really about winning, it’s about building friendships and being introduced to other cultures.”
Padilla said the three Newark teams in the North Ward Center’s Little League program competed in three to four games in Puerto Rico this past March. They also went sight-seeing in Old San Juan, Loquillo Beach and El Yunque Rainforest.
“There is a cultural exchange, we teach them to live, to learn and to play with other people,” said Luis Lopez, founder of the Roberto Clemente Little League. “We expose them to a lot of different things in Puerto Rico. They learn that there is a world outside of Newark and there are other things to do. It’s something that is a long-lasting experience.”
As a part of their trip to Newark, the Puerto Rican team had a packed schedule and got the chance to attend a WNBA game, courtesy of Sen. Teresa Ruiz. On Sunday, the team also traveled to New York City for the Puerto Rican Day Parade.
The mayor of Guayanilla was presented with proclamations from the City of Newark, Essex County, and the Essex County Freeholder Board. The players and coaches also received citations from the state.
Adrianne Davis, the executive director of The North Ward Center, said the cultural exchange is important aspect of the Youth Development and Recreation Program.
“Over the years, our exchange program with Puerto Rico has enriched the lives of children from both Puerto Rico and Newark,” Davis said. “We are proud to continue to support the exchange.”
New Jersey dignitaries Sen. Teresa Ruiz, Essex County Freeholder Juan Rivera, Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr., Newark Municipal Councilman Carlos A. Gonzalez and Newark Councilman Anibal Ramos Jr. were also in attendance and helped host events throughout the weekend.
“We are returning all the beautiful things that they do for us when we visit Puerto Rico every year, and when we go there they treat us like VIPs,” Lopez said.
Jose Liano Lopez, a parent of the visiting Piratas team, said he was appreciative of the hospitality his family received in Newark.
“Everything’s very beautiful,” Jose Liano Lopez said. “We’re very grateful for the way we’ve been treated here and we’ve been well received.”
Newark parent Isabel Couto said her son loved his trip to Puerto Rico and it taught him how to be more independent. She hopes her younger 8 year-old son will also aspire to join the team when he is old enough.
“The program has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and it helped my son grow,” Couto said. “The coaches were exceptional; they’ve taught him a lot of respect and to be grateful for the experience. He loves the game of baseball so it was a great opportunity.”
Edgardo Arlequin, the mayor of Guayanilla, said the program has been a great experience emotionally and culturally.
“We want to expose the kids to different cultures and different levels of play, and it’s important to me that the kids participate in programs like this,” Arlequin said. “It enriches their being.”
The North Ward Center Little League was founded in 1978 by Stephen N. Adubato Sr., the founder of the North Ward Center, LeRoy “The Doc” Smith, Anthony Burke and Joseph DiVincenzo, then the director of recreation for the North Ward Center.
“Our connection with Puerto Rico goes back now for more than two generations,” Adubato said. “We have built lasting friendships through these cultural exchanges that benefit our own children and those from the Island.”
