Dodgeball youths seek support

To the editor:

Over the past three and a half years, I've met the greatest people I know. A kid without direction, I was invited to spend my Friday nights playing dodgeball. No alcohol. No discrimination. Just fun with a genuine bunch of youths.

I realize there's a lot of uproar about the Jackson Underground Dodgeball League. But what people don't realize is that this isn't just dodgeball for us. This is truly our home, a place where anyone, no matter age or social standing, can come and play a simple game. We haven't had our chance to speak. We're not angry kids. We just don't want this to disappear.

The city moved us from the upper courts, and that's OK. However, it's obvious why tournaments could not be played elsewhere. There's no space for the amount of people who attend. We requested the upper courts for only a few days a year, which was approved by the parks department. I'm not sure if the board of aldermen was aware of this when it made its decision.

We're not bad kids. We've found a home, and we'd like to keep it. JUDL will continue, with or without this. We care too much to let three and a half years go to waste. However, as the youths and future of Jackson, we would love to have the city behind us. Please give us our chance to speak. We love it here, and we're not out to hurt anyone. We just want to play dodgeball.

KATIE JENKINS, Cape Girardeau