Hawks Athletics: Building Community Beyond Baseball

CEDAR SPRINGS - Walk into the 12,000 square foot Hawks Athletics facility on a busy day and you'll see what you'd expect: kids working on swings in the live at-bat lane, pitchers learning mechanics inside one of the three pitching lanes, parents chatting in the background. What you might not notice right away is what the people behind it are trying to build, a place that feels like a second home, and a program that belongs to the whole community, not just one team or one season.

Hawks Athletics started pretty much how most things do: as just an idea. Hawks CEO Brant Bender moved to the Cedar Springs area in 2016 and connected with Hawks COO Todd Norman, who's lived here his whole life. A conversation at Morley Park made it clear they were after the same thing, a youth sports program built for the long haul, one that gives more kids a real chance to grow and gives families a good place to be together. In 2023, that shared vision became official when Cedar Springs Hawks Youth Baseball, known locally as Hawks, incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

The baseball side of the mission is pretty straightforward: teach the game in an environment tha

t encourages competition and individual growth, prepares players for high school ball, and builds teamwork and

sportsmanship along the way. But the deeper mission, Norman says, is about opportunity.

A lot of the questions Hawks gets come down to motive, why these guys care so much. Norman's answer is simple: "this is home."

L to R: Kate Norman, Todd Norman, Brant Bender

"I want to make Cedar Springs a better place," he

said. "When I'm gone, our children, and the kids I've coached, they carry this on."

Bender said Hawks was built to avoid something he's seen all too often in youth sports: short-term teams that only help the players lucky enough to make that particular roster.

"When you start an individual team, only the people on that team get better," he said. "You don't have the system that supports the next kids coming up."

That's why Hawks focuses on building a program, not just fielding squads. The organization puts together teams for young players in Cedar Springs and the surrounding areas, and offers private lessons, Hittrax and ProBatter training, and Saturday clinics. Coaches are all USA Certified, and the emphasis is on steady, year-round development.

For Hawks leadership, better performance isn't the entire end goal, it's what happens when you open doors. Norman spoke about breaking down barriers for local kids, whether that's financial, transportation, geography, or the quieter social dynamics that can leave kids on the outside looking in. He worries that the same thing can happen right here if a talented kid doesn't have the resources to be seen and trained.

"There could be a kid somewhere around here who's a fantastic athlete," Norman said. "We're just trying to give them the chance to become great."

Hawks runs on donations and memberships, and the day-to-day work is handled by an all-volunteer staff. Some coordinators and trainers are brought in on contract for one-on-one sessions and are paid through classes and clinics, but the engine behind Hawks is still community effort.

The organization is also looking beyond baseball. Bender stated that Hawks plans to add additional sports over time, basketball, softball, pickleball, soccer, and more, through partnerships with schools, businesses, athletic directors, and other local programs.

The Hawks team hopes to work with Cedar Springs Public Schools on an after-school plan that could shuttle students to the facility, about four miles from the school. It's a practical step, Norman says, that would help busy families and widen access for the kids who need it most.

Right now, Hawks Athletics is in the middle of a capital campaign to raise $60,000 to finish and upgrade the facility. Donation information is available on the Hawks Athletics Facebook page.

At a time when youth sports can feel expensive and sometimes out of reach, Hawks leaders are trying to prove something different: that the community gets stronger when more kids get a chance. Norman keeps coming back to the same idea, that what they're doing isn't just for "their" kids.

"In the end, our children will be better off if your children have the same opportunity, because we grow together," he said. "A rising tide lifts all boats."