34.0°

Baseball or beisbol -- either way, it's a great thing.

A group of Little Leaguers from Kenai recently visited Puerto Rico, a trip that ended up being about more than just sport for both the visitors and their hosts.

Nine 13- and 14-year-old players and eight adults, representing the Kenai Baseball Club -- formed specifically for this trip -- headed to the Caribbean island to play some ball and take in the culture. What they found there was a great environment for baseball, wonderful hospitality, and some memories that will last a lifetime.

The trip was the brainchild of Gary Oliver, who had lots of help with the planning from fellow coach Hector Rivera, who grew up in Puerto Rico. Rivera worked his old connections and had no problem setting up games on the baseball-mad island.

Every game played included an exchange of gifts, and with those gifts, perhaps a little bit of culture and understanding. Travel educates, the saying goes, and sport, in its purest form, does wonders for breaking down all sorts of barriers. Frequently, the athletic field is where people from different backgrounds can find common ground.

We're thrilled that kids from our community had the opportunity to experience another culture, and we're proud of the way they served as ambassadors for Kenai.

Likewise, we're grateful for the parents and volunteers who worked to make the trip a reality -- no easy feat, we're sure. And we'd like to thank all those in Puerto Rico who showed them such great hospitality.

Oliver said he'd like to see more kids from Alaska have the same opportunity, and would like to see some players from Puerto Rico have the opportunity to visit Alaska.

"Hector said we may be setting ourselves up for something that could go on for years," Oliver said. "I'd love to do it again, sure. It was just a blast."

Baseball or beisbol, what a great opportunity to do more than just play ball.