The Rockers Keep High Point Rocking Through This Pandemic

by Forward High Point Intern JT Farabow

After a successful opening season, The High Point Rockers organization has quickly become an integral part of our downtown. The Rockers won 72 games over the course of the 2019 season, which was the third most for any Atlantic League expansion team in history. Alongside that, The Rockers were the first expansion team in history to make the playoffs in their inaugural season. 

 

Off the back of a successful first season like the Rockers experienced, it can be hard for any organization to keep the ball rolling. For the Rockers’ General Manager Christian Heimall and everyone else a part of the Rockers organization, the 2020 season has not exactly gone according to plan.

 

In an open letter posted to The Rockers’ website on the 30^th of June, Heimall informed the public that the Rockers would forego their 2020 season due to the ongoing pandemic and concerns of well-being for fans, players, and staff.

 

While there has been no Rockers baseball being played in the newly named Truist Point, Heimall and the Rockers organization have been doing everything but sitting still. 

 

“We are founded as a 501c3 non-profit organization, which means that we do not have an ownership group that is looking to line their pockets,” says Heimall. “Every single dollar that is spent here stays here, and it goes towards helping High Point in some way.” Being classified as a non-profit organization means the Rockers are able to do much more for downtown High Point and the community as a whole.

 

The Rockers organization has their hand in nearly every High Point charity, doing their best to make the biggest difference that they can make. “We’ve donated thousands of books to local libraries, we’ve donated thousands of backpacks to kids in need from the High Point community,” explains Heimall. “With our corporate partners and our community partners, we’ve been able to donate food to the Boys and Girls Club of America and collect tons of canned foods for the Salvation Army. In the month of May we did our ‘Safe at Home’ t-shirt campaign and raised almost $3 thousand dollars for the United Way of Greater High Point. Anything we can do- we do it!”

 

The Rockers organization has been delivering meals to first responders and frontline medical workers and has close ties with other charities in our community, including the Salvation Army. Over the course of this summer, the Truist Point stadium has hosted over 200 baseball games for both youth amateur tournaments and collegiate summer leagues this summer.

 

Recently, The Rockers have partnered with the YWCA of downtown High Point to allow people of the community to walk Truist Point’s concourse for exercise. From the 8th of September until October 31st, people can walk the concourse of the stadium every Tuesday from 7-9 a.m. This event is within compliance of the Governors orders, however space is limited and those that wish to participate are asked to contact the Rockers or the YWCA to rsvp.

 

 “The community support here has been incredible from the get-go,” says Heimall. “It has really been an exciting place to build a new stadium and to build a franchise because of what we have from the community.” 

 

According to Heimall, there are so many things that the Rockers organization can do for the city of High Point. “We are making a commitment to the city of High Point. We have done that from the beginning and I will be here to ensure we do that for the rest of our time.”

 

To keep up to date on the Rockers and everything happening at Truist Point, please visit their website highpointrockers.com. Call High Point Rockers at (336) 888-1000 or the YWCA at (336) 882-4126 to RSVP your Tuesday morning walk around the Truist Point stadium’s concourse.