For the past 30+ years, the Lake Washington High School Kangaroos have played their home games at Lee Johnson Field in Peter Kirk Park. This location in the heart of downtown Kirkland Washington has created a special tradition for the program and it's passionate baseball community where evening games typically attract several hundred fans.

Now, days before the baseball season is starting and after the schedule with 8 homes games at Lee Johnson Field has already been published, the Lake Washington High School Administration and Lake Washington School District have decided to move the home games to the LWHS campus.

We strongly oppose this decision as it deprives many parents and fans the opportunity to attend the games, it denies our student athletes the chance to play in "prime time" just like football, and basketball, it removes an economic impact to the City of Kirkland, and it will cost the Lake Washington School District more money to play on campus compared to allowing the varsity team to play at Lee Johnson Field. Read more below and support our petition.

A brief history

The Lake Washington High School "Kangs" baseball program is one that is rich in tradition and success on the field. Last year, the team was the 2A State Runner-up and the team has made state tournament appearances over the past decade in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2011. Additionally the team has been KingCo Champions 16 times since 1955 with recent championships coming in 2005, 2009 and 2013. Throughout most of this time, the team practiced on a dirt and grass field at LWHS and has played all varsity home games and many junior varsity games at Lee Johnson Field in Peter Kirk Park. In early 2012, the LWHS field was condemned due to safety reasons. Over the past several years, LWHS and the school district has worked hard to renovate the field which now has a new turf infield, new batting cages and fences. The LWHS baseball community truly appreciates the efforts of all involved with the field renovation as we now have a safe class room and facility to practice and one that can accommodate home games for the Freshman and Junior Varsity baseball teams.

A very special atmosphere and tradition for Kangs baseball at Lee Johnson Field

Playing baseball games at Lee Johnson Field is something local kids start dreaming about in Little League Baseball or before. It's the opportunity to play at night, under the lights, in front of hundreds of cheering students and fans in the heart of Downtown Kirkland. To hear the announcer call your name and see your name lit up on the  big center field score board is as special as any other high school baseball venue in the country. People from all over the community drop by to enjoy baseball on beautiful evenings with their family and friends. For the students who never make it to the big leagues, this is as close to playing in the Big Leagues and at Safeco Field as they come. We need to continue this tradition and preserve this dream for future generations.

Home games at LWHS will force many fans to miss the games

Since the baseball field at LWHS does not have lights, that means games must be played right after school ends. With many parents and fans working during the day, this means they won't be able to attend the LWHS home games.

Hosting varsity home games at LWHS will cost the school district more money

LWHS has 3 baseball teams: Varsity, Junior Varsity and a Freshman team. Given a single field on campus, 3 teams, and the fact that the KingCo conference plays 3 league games per week, this dictates that 1 of the three teams will need to play or practice off campus up to 3 times per week. The most cost effective solution is to have the varsity team continue to play it's home games at Lee Johnson Field allowing the JV and Freshman teams to play on the LWHS campus. However the High School and District are proposing to move the Freshman team offsite when Varsity plays home games at LWHS. This will require not only expenses to rent a field but additional transportation costs since Freshman aren't old enough to drive. It's important to note that transportation has never been provided to the Varsity team for its games at Lee Johnson Field. Further, the LWHS Baseball Booster Club has offered to pay for the rental fees associated with Lee Johnson Field. By playing Varsity home games at Lee Johnson Field, the School saves valuable money which could be put towards other more needed causes.

Economic impact to the City of Kirkland

With hundreds of fans coming to watch the Kangs play in downtown, moving these games will surely have an economic impact to the City of Kirkland and local businesses. Many fans typically visit local restaurants and shopping areas before and after the games. Many visiting teams players, families and fans also look forward to games at Lee Johnson Field and the opportunity to enjoy a ballgame in the heart of downtown Kirkland.

Other LWSD schools play home games off campus

Juanita High School also plays their home baseball games at Lee Johnson Field and Redmond High School plays their home games at Hartman Park, even though both schools have baseball fields on their campuses. So there is a long precedent for teams playing games off their campus.

Who cares about sports anyways?

Some might attempt to dismiss this petition as there are more important things to be concerned about. But different people are passionate about different things and this freedom to pursue our dreams is one of the things that makes this country great. For our community, local sports are a way to bond together, get us out and meet in person and get to know one another. It creates a sense of local spirit and pride. For the student athletes, it teaches them about hard work, discipline, how to set and achieve goals and leadership. All valuable skills to know as these students transition to adults in our communities.

Conclusion

We the LWHS Kangs baseball supporters and Kirkland baseball community ask that Lake Washington High School administration and Lake Washington School District do the right thing for everyone involved and allow the Kangs program to continue to play its home Varsity baseball games at Lee Johnson Field.

 Please sign our petition and leave your comments on this site.