Arnold Athletic Association Strives to Keep Up With Demand

The has become a staple of Arnold-area sports. In this Q&A, Ted Zlotopolski, president of the association, tells the Arnold Patch a little more about this organization.

What does the Arnold Athletic Association do?

We are an Athletic Association that hosts t-ball leagues as well as recreational and select level leagues for both baseball and fastpitch softball.

How long have you been around?

The Arnold Athletic Association is operating in its 52nd year.

Who do you service?

Our league serves boys from the ages of 4 through 14 and girls from the ages of 4 through 18. We also provide fields for the Fox and Seckman high school softball tournaments.

How have you grown over the years?

Our league has grown along with the population growth in the Arnold and Jefferson County areas. The size of the league has more than doubled in the last 7 years.

What are some recent special programs you are hosting?

We have hosted one season opening baseball tournament and one fastpitch softball tournament so far this year. We will be hosting another baseball tournament in July and the fourth annual Tanner Boynton Memorial tournament in early August which is a wood bat tournament.

We also provide fields for local training facilities such as "The Ballyard" in Arnold and "Major League Development" in Imperial to hold instructional clinics.

Also, the St. Louis Cardinals organization will be holding a clinic on July 17th at the Arnold Athletic Association. Instructors at this clinic will be former Cardinal players.

What are the biggest challenges you currently face?

The biggest challenge we face is keeping up with the demand for t-ball, baseball, and softball leagues in our area. Our league is operating at maximum capacity and we turn away a few teams every year due to limited field space.