56 The QUEE NS Courier • kids & education • SEPTEMBER 26, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com kids & education Sponsored by There’s more in store for you when you have a 5Star Credit Card. Apply today online at mynycb.com or call us at 1-888-550-9888 NATURAL ABILITY TO BE GREAT BY LIAM LA GUERE lguerre@queenscourier.com Chris Kollmer is colossal. Kollmer is so tall and powerful for his age that Ozone Howard Little League Huskies eight and under manager Andy Menechella often carries the young player’s birth certificate to prove to opposing teams’ parents the nine-yearold 1 > Absolutely Free Student Checking •No minimum balance •No per check fee •No monthly maintenance fee > Free unlimited ATM transactions at NYCB locations > Free VISA®CheckCard > Free Direct Deposit > Free On-line Banking with Free Bill Pay† > 24 Hour Bank by Phone > Convenience •Over 140 locations in NY and NJ •Extended branch banking hours •Supermarket banking •7 day-a-week banking at many locations > Pre-Paid Solutions •VISA® Gift Card •Pre-Paid Long Distance •Pre-Paid MasterCardTM •Pre-Paid Wireless Service •MetroCards For more information call 718-448-7272 or visit www.myNYCB.com For more information call 718-263-0937 or visit www.myNYCB.com †For your online security, information will be verified by the Bank. Once the verification process is complete, your Free Online Banking & Free Bill Pay account will be activated and ready for you to use. No monthly services charges apply. A separate fee applies for optional services such as Money HQ. Please talk to a branch representative or ask for our fee schedule for more details. © New York Community Bank. Member FDIC Equal Housing Lender Photo by Carrie Johnson Keyonne Zaire Session of Hollis earned his Eagle Scout award. is not a teenager. Standing at 5’1”, about 120 pounds and wearing size nine shoe, Kollmer is a giant among his peers. And it’s not just his size that makes him frightening. Kollmer is a monster at the plate. “In a situation where the game is tight, you don’t want anybody else but him at the plate,” Menechella said. “He’s hit homeruns over the fence that I haven’t seen 13 year olds hit.” In 40 games he has 54 hits with a remarkable .574, 10 homeruns and 67 RBIs. It’s no doubt Kollmer is a major factor why the Huskies have gone 40-9 this summer, and won two tournaments after making four finals. Teams are so scared of Kollmer that they’ve begun to intentionally walk him to first base to avoid giving up a homer. This tactic is frequently used against big name sluggers in the Major League, but it just frustrates Kollmer. “If they intentionally walk me I get mad, because I really want to hit the ball,” Kollmer said. Kollmer isn’t just a baseball player. He is a versatile athlete that plays basketball and football when he’s not on the diamond, and even in those sports his size is recognized. In basketball he plays center, usually reserved for the tallest player, and in football, he plays fullback, which is known for the bigbodied defensive guys. But Kollmer wasn’t always good at baseball. His physical growth certainly helped boost is athletic ability, and his parents said help from a new coach also spurted his little league baseball domination. Elvin Millan, a catcher for the Newark Bears of the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, has been working with Kollmer to help improve his swing and give him tips on how to play the first base and catcher positions. When Millan first met Kollmer he knew the little leaguer had the natural ability to be great, but needed to refine his technique. “He had the talent,” Millan said. “He was like a newborn giraffe.” The talent isn’t just random. Kollmer comes from a sports-oriented family. His father, Darren, played lacrosse growing up, his brother is a college baseball player and his cousins all play football and baseball. “I think it’s just genetics,” Darren said. But besides his attributes on the field, Kollmer is a normal kid. He likes playing video games, watching cartoons, eating spaghetti and meatballs and studying mathematics. His favorite baseball team is the Yankees; he admires the captain, Derek Jeter, and of course he dreams of playing baseball professionally in the distant future. For now though, Kollmer has his eyes set on a much closer reality. Within the next couple of years he wants to lead his team to the Little League World Series. “My team can definitely get there, we are an excellent team,” Kollmer said. OPEN YOUR STUDENT CHECKING2 ACCOUNT AND/OR SAVINGS ACCOUNT AND ENJOY: • NO MINIMUM BALANCE FEE • NO PER-C HEC K FEE • NO MONTHLY SERVICE FEE Free ▪ Unlimited transactions at NYCB ATMs ▪ Visa® check card ▪ Direct Deposit ▪ Online Banking and Bill Pay3 with e-Statements Convenience ▪ Over 175 locations in NY and NJ ▪ Extended branch banking hours ▪ 24-hour bank by phone ▪ 7 day-a-week banking at many locations ©2013 New York Community Bank- Member FDIC Equal Opportunity Lender SBmAaNrt KStIuNdeGnt Please visit our Full Service Branch and Recruitment Center located in the Student Union at Queens College! 1Student Banking is available for personal accounts only and is free of maintenance and activity fees. 2Student Checking Accounts with a Visa® check card are automatically enrolled in the Even >more Rewards Program. For complete terms and conditions speak with a branch representative. Restrictions apply. 3No monthly service charges apply. A separate fee applies to optional services such as Money HQ®. Please talk to a branch representative or ask for our fee schedule for more details. THE COURIER/Photo by Liam La Guerre Chris Kollmer has helped lead the Ozone Howard Huskies Little League team to multiple tournament wins this season.
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