Northwoods Experience: Bemidji Kickball Tourney Raises Funds for Baseball Field Storm Repairs

The June 21 storm that swept through the Bemidji area caused extensive damage to Mark Evenson Memorial Fields, used by Bemidji Youth League Baseball. Over the weekend, a kickball tournament was held to help raise funds to repair some of the fields.

But that’s not the only reason the competition was held. For Marty Cobenais, nostalgia hit him one day, and he wanted to play the game he enjoyed as a kid.

“I remember playing kickball back in the day, and I saw it being played down in St. Joseph, Minnesota one time,” he said. “I was like, ‘I gotta bring this to Bemidji.'”

The first adult kickball leagues date back to the 1920s. The sport has since widely grown, with a World Kickball Association being established in 1998.

“I want to expand it; I want to get it going,” Cobenais added. “There’s state tournaments, there’s national tournaments, all for kickball. And why not in Bemidji?”

Some of the players involved hope this can lead to a league being formed in the area, so that those who played athletics in high school and college can experience the fun of playing competitive sports again.

“I think it’d be really cool to even have a regular league for a bunch of us older softball players that maybe softball’s too much for, but kickball should be a little bit easier,” said Kacey Donahue, team captain of “Better at Bags.”

“I’d love to see a league,” said Cobenais. “I’d love to see these tournaments going on on weekends. I mean, it’s a fun time.”

Mark Evenson Memorial Fields received extensive damage from the June 21 storm, and that’s why organizers wanted to hold this fundraiser.

“It helps us both,” Cobenais stated. “Their fields are the exact size for a kickball field, and then they are a nonprofit. And with all the damage that happened from the June storm, anything we can do to help them out.”

“We just come here to have fun, and it’s a good cause,” said “Crashouts” team captain Mackenzie. “It’s just something fun to do for the kids.”

The tournament raised around $400 for Bemidji Youth League Baseball. Another kickball tournament will be taking place on October 12, and anyone looking to participate can email Marty Cobenais at [email protected] to register.