The world has come to a screeching halt as we practice social distancing in an effort to slow the deadly virus. Seemingly no one has been spared from the pain of the pandemic. The isolation of quarantine, the stress of economic calamity, and the raw pain of loss have been felt by too many of us.
In the background of the nation’s 2nd worst outbreak of COVID-19, New Jersey’s high school athletes suffered a smaller, but not insignificant trauma. On May 4, 2020, the NJSIAA (the state’s governing body for high school athletics) canceled the 2020 Spring Sports Season. For many of us, this marks the first time in our lives we’ll have to face tough times without the comforting distraction of sports. For high school seniors, the announcement erases the season they spent years preparing for.
But as the Garden State started talking about reopening, a group of high school baseball coaches saw an opportunity to do something remarkable. The New Jersey Last Dance World Series will feature almost 200 quasi-high school teams battling for a trophy that won’t be recorded in their schools’ record book. The participants won’t be allowed to wear their school uniforms again, in many cases they won’t get a last game on their home field, but they will get the chance to play as many as 56 innings together (not including extra frames). After spending so much time away from each other those final innings together are more valuable than any trophy the state could ever award.
The team that brought you Road To The Rock is excited to present 56 Innings in July: The Story of Jersey’s Last Dance World Series. NOW STREAMING!