Lifelong memories can be made in the first few years of a person’s life and many times start off as dreams built upon imagination.

For the Beulah U8 Machine Pitch All-Star and West Point U16 Softball All-Star Little League teams, imagination is one step closer to becoming reality.

As a Little Leaguer myself, before every season I would dream about taking the group photo after making the All-Star team at the end of the season. I’d dream about winning the seemingly endless amounts of tournaments to play on ESPN in the Little League World Series, smashing four home runs a game in the process. I’d dream about defeating Japan and being acknowledged at an Atlanta Hawks’ game when I returned home, much like the 2006 Columbus World Champions were.

In reality, I never got to experience that sequence. I never hit a home run in my five-year Little League career. For the record, I did hit a few in practice.

However, this Beulah squad can win the World Series in their machine pitch league, while West Point can represent the Southeast region at the Senior League World Series, which is under the Little League organization. The teams have jumped over a large number of others who shared the same dream of winning the biggest trophies of their lives and earning a parade in their hometowns.

The normal team jerseys that have morphed into All-Star jerseys now represent the state of Alabama and Georgia. Both teams have a chance to make their mark in Greater Valley Area history.

Every play and second must be treated like a normal game because no opponent at this stage can be overlooked. With just a few more wins, however, a lot of their childhood dreams can become a reality.

Milligan can be reached at rashad.milligan@valleytimes-news.com.