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The Rams, who won the Class L championship in 2013, figure to be playing late in the postseason again this year. But they have found a way to support the MMRF, and will be participating in a Spartan race Sunday at Citi Field, the home of the New York Mets.
“As a high school baseball team, we like to do as much as we can and give back to the community,’’ New Canaan coach Mitch Hoffman said. “We usually do baseball clinics or something like that. With this, one of the most philanthropic women in the world happens to be the mother of one of the best pitchers in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference. The kids thought it would be exciting and cool to participate in this. The team has all bought into the idea.”
New Canaan’s Kathy Giusti is executive director and executive chairwoman of the MMRF, which she founded in 1998. Her son, David, a senior for the Rams, is one of top pitchers in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference. He will play in college at Lafayette.
Hoffman, David Giusti and the rest of the Rams will crawl, climb, run and grunt their way through the Spartan race, which will include obstacles ranging from wall climbs, running stairs and a rope climb. They will be running in exclusive areas of the stadium, such as dugouts, team locker rooms and the field.
“Certainly it helps our chemistry, but we already have great chemistry,’’ Hoffman said. “But the more stuff we do together the better we bond. It gets the kids to see each other in a different light; and raise money for a good cause.”
Hoffman planned to run the Spartan race a few months ago to support a friend who lost her husband to leukemia. “The only thing that prohibits me is my twins,’’ said Hoffman, whose wife, Erin, delivered twin boys in late March.
His team, however, has an important game Friday against Staples and huge contests next week against Greenwich, Wilton and Darien. The Rams entered this week 9-2 overall and 8-1 in the FCIAC.
“They’re looking forward to it,’’ Hoffman said. “We’ll bring it more to their attention as the week goes along. We want them to stay focused on the game and they click into helping out. It’s going to be a fun event for our team.”
Readers can support the New Canaan baseball team by making a donation through its online fundraising page.
The annual MMRF 5k in New Canaan will be held on Saturday, June 7. Click here to visit the event website.
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