[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 7882-7883]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 ZACHARY PATTERSON OF ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA NAMED BRIGGS & STRATTON 
                 DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH REGIONAL CHAMPION

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                          HON. C.W. BILL YOUNG

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 6, 2008

  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, baseball is the great American 
pastime, but for twelve-year-old Zachary Patterson of St. Petersburg, 
baseball provided one of the greatest American lessons.
  He learned that with the confidence he gained on the ball field, he 
could overcome the greatest of obstacles including bullying by his 
classmates at school. Zachary, a seventh-grader at Admiral Farragut 
Academy, wrote an essay about his experiences for Briggs and Stratton's 
``Diamonds in the Rough'' competition. The essay was to relate how 
baseball helped players find the power within to overcome great 
challenges on and off the baseball field.
  Zachary's essay earned him first place in the Tampa Bay region and 
$5,000, and a variety of lawn equipment to help the Azalea Little 
League, in which he has played for eight years. Following my remarks, I 
will include an article from The St. Petersburg Times about Zachary's 
experience and also a copy of his winning essay.
  Madam Speaker, last October, this House approved legislation with my 
support calling attention to the serious problem of bullying in our 
Nation's schools and commending schools for promoting greatest public 
awareness about bullying and bullying prevention activities. Zachary 
Patterson has taken his own initiative to call attention to this 
national problem by reflecting on the impact bullying has had on his 
life. Please join me in congratulating Zachary for being honored for 
his efforts and in thanking him for his willingness to tackle this 
problem head on at the age of twelve.

             [From the St. Petersburg Times, April 4, 2008]

                       Baseball Changed His Life

                         (By Michael Maharrey)

       St. Petersburg.--Laughter drifted across the dusty baseball 
     diamond as Zachary Patterson tossed the ball back and forth 
     with a coach. Joy lit up his face, even in the bright 
     afternoon sun.
       Baseball has not only provided Zachary with fun times that 
     will one day become fond childhood memories, but life lessons 
     that make him wise beyond his 12 years.
       Now his wisdom has translated to much-needed financial help 
     for the cash-strapped Azalea Little League.
       Zachary placed first in the Tampa Bay region in the Briggs 
     and Stratton Diamonds in the Rough competition, winning 
     $5,000 and lawn equipment for his league.

[[Page 7883]]

       The victory earned him the opportunity to compete against 
     19 other regional winners for another $5,000 prize and a trip 
     for four to watch the Yankees play in their final season at 
     Yankee Stadium.
       Online voting will determine the final winner.
       Baseball players ranging from 7 to 14 wrote essays 
     explaining how baseball helped them find the ``power within'' 
     to overcome challenges on or off the field. Entrants came 
     from within 30 miles of 20 select cities, including Tampa.
       Zachary wrote about how kids at the military school he 
     attends used to make fun of him, calling him a nerd and a 
     dork. He said playing baseball gave him the confidence to 
     deal with the taunting.
       ``Our coach, Joel, always says, `We have to have confidence 
     in ourselves before we have confidence on the field.' Wow, 
     was he right. After playing baseball for a few years I have 
     come to realize that kids made fun of me because I wasn't 
     confident in myself. I ignored what others said but continued 
     to be respectful to them,'' he wrote.
       The seventh-grader at Admiral Farragut Academy said kids 
     teased him because he's smart, but the confidence he gained 
     on the baseball field taught him to be proud of all of his 
     accomplishments, and that confidence changed his relationship 
     with his classmates.
       ``Instead of people making fun of me, they are friends with 
     me now. Everything has changed,'' he said.
       Natasha Patterson said she has seen the transformation in 
     her son.
       ``Now he is willing to try things that he wanted to do but 
     wouldn't because he was picked on,'' she said. ``He's really 
     come out of his shell. Now he's proud of himself academically 
     and strives to do better.''
       Zachary gets to help decide how the league will use the 
     $5,000 prize money. He said it needs a new tractor for field 
     maintenance, clay to fill in holes in the diamonds, and chalk 
     for lining the playing area.
       If he wins the grand prize, he wants the league to install 
     a handicapped-accessible water fountain.
       ``That way not just regular players can get a drink, but 
     Challenger players, too,'' he said.
       Azalea is one of only two Little League organizations in 
     Pinellas County to feature a Challenger division. More than 
     100 special-needs children participate in the program, and 
     one of Azalea's fields consists of a special rubber surface 
     that allows kids to play baseball from wheelchairs.
       Dana Hess, the league's treasurer, said the prize money 
     couldn't have come at a better time.
       Azalea's fields were built in 1969, and all of the 
     structures and fences are original.
       ``We really need the money. We maintain what we can as good 
     as we can, but everything is so old,'' Hess said.
       But for those involved with the league, the excitement is 
     not just about money.
       ``To have someone so young to write something from the 
     heart really means a lot,'' Carol Vallee, a league volunteer 
     and past president, said. ``This is a well-deserved honor for 
     him.''
       Zachary's mother said she hopes area residents will go 
     online and vote for him, not only for his benefit but because 
     of the good the prize money will do for the league.
       ``Voting for Zach not only helps children here and now; it 
     will help children in the future,'' she said.
       Voting began March 26 and continues through April 20.

                       Essay by Zachary Patterson

       I attend a small military school. Military school can be 
     tough and the kids can be very mean. Confidence was my 
     challenge in school. ``Dork'' and ``Nerd'' are words people 
     used to call me everyday. I would get very angry and come 
     home sad. I didn't have a lot of friends at school. I didn't 
     understand why people made fun of me for doing well. I never 
     joined a sports team at school. I never did anything to draw 
     any more attention to myself. I felt if I did, they would 
     make fun of me more. Luckily, I have played baseball for 
     Azalea Little League for 8 years. None of the kids at 
     baseball go to my school. I am never made fun of while I am 
     there. Every year my teammates become my friends. We treat 
     each other with respect and work together as a team. Our 
     Coach Joel always says ``we have to have confidence in 
     ourselves before we have confidence on the field''. Wow, was 
     he right! After playing baseball for a few years I have come 
     to realize that kids made fun of me because I wasn't 
     confident in myself. I ignored what others said but continued 
     to be respectful to them. I remembered what Coach always says 
     and built up confidence to join football, soccer, basketball, 
     track and cross country. This year I even joined our school's 
     elite baseball team. I'm the starting pitcher. Throughout 
     time, my confidence in myself has outweighed the teasing of 
     others. They now respect me and don't make fun of me. The 
     kids who made fun of me in the past, now ``high five'' me! If 
     I win, I'd help repair our field we play on. It needs a lot 
     of work!

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