OKEECHOBEE —  Okeechobee County Recreational Association (OCRA) started the baseball/softball season off with a bang, but there have been some struggles. Despite multiple reminders about "no parking" areas and picking up your trash when you leave, there have been many who ignore these requests.

On Feb. 10, OCRA posted a photo of a no parking area on Facebook and reminded parents this was for the safety of their children. The area in question can often be a heavy traffic area and not everyone is looking out for children. The "no parking" rule can and will be enforced. Do you want to be the first one towed away from a ball game?

The second issue for OCRA teams is garbage being left behind. They ask everyone to please take your trash with you when you leave. One suggestion was to take turns bringing a garbage bag to make sure your team has somewhere to put their garbage. Don’t forget to take it with you when you leave. Also, please keep the restrooms clean.

Regarding the Yearling Middle School parking lot, if there continues to be trash left behind, the gates will not be left open, and you will have to park in the overflow parking lot of the sports complex.

 Founder of Scouting, Lord Robert Baden-Powell said “Try and leave this world a little better than you found it, and when your turn comes to die, you can die happy in feeling that at any rate, you have not wasted your time but have done your best.”

Although there are some problems which need to be corrected, the overall attitude of the OCRA board and coaches is positive. “Remember to be positive, these are games for the kids, let's work on teaching our children how to be competitive, humble, and positive at the same time. Also teach them that with a loss comes a lesson,” wrote Cindy Kemp.