ADDISON – Carlos Rosado never played sports, but he saw the positive effect they could have on a young life six years ago when his son joined one of the Addison Recreation Club’s sports leagues.
“It was his first time with sports,” Rosado said of his son, Casey Blicharz, now 18. “It’s tough to come in when you’re older and start at a 12-year-old level. But he got new confidence. He jumped in and picked it up right away. It gave him a lot of confidence to be able to conquer other things.”
The Addison Recreation Club has been providing youth sports for the community for more than 60 years, a tradition that continues today for an organization that depends heavily on its volunteers. It is a club that brings together both children and their parents, something that Rosado can attest to.
The Addison resident has a total of four children – including Allie Blicharz, 13; Carlos Rosado, 13; and Michael Rosado, 10 – who have participated in the Addison Recreation Club offerings, which include baseball, basketball, football and cheerleading.
Rosado is the commissioner for the Bronco baseball league for 11 to 12 year olds. He also is an assistant coach in the basketball league and volunteers for football.
“I started as a dad on the sidelines, then I started helping out on field,” Rosado said. “Then I joined the program and wanted to do more and help other kids. A great way to do this is to be a commissioner and oversee everybody and keep everyone having fun.”
Rosado said the club offers an affordable option to keep kids involved, which he attributes to it being a volunteer program.
“It keeps everyone involved and makes everyone into a nice family,” he said. “It’s nice to see the time and effort our coaches and volunteers put in as I talk to them and see how many hours they put in. They really do strive to make every kid better.”
More importantly, Rosado said, it’s a chance for the community’s children to be together and active.
“All year they are out there playing with their friends,” Rosado said. “It’s been great for the community. With kids just wanting to play video games and all that kind of stuff, it’s nice to have a program like this for kids to play sports.”
Angelo Diorio, a lifelong resident of Addison whose sons – Angelo Jr., 11, and Vincenzo, 7 – play sports with the Addison Recreation Club, has been a coach in the league since 2007.