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Parents Travel Long Distances for Little League World Series

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — For some parents, coming to central Pennsylvania to watch their kids play baseball is no easy task. On any given day, there are ...

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- For some parents, coming to central Pennsylvania to watch their kids play baseball is no easy task.

On any given day, there are thousands of fans cheering on the teams at the Little League World Series in South Williamsport. But during each game, a group of fans always stands out: the players' families.

"People came in different airlines, different flights, different days, different airports, but we all ended up here," said Gia Schwarzer from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

Many Little League parents have spent a good portion of their summers traveling with their kids. The team from Australia had an 18-hour flight.

"Time off work, a lot of financial. yeah, It's been huge," said Jenny Naidello from Australia's Gold Coast.

Some of the teams only had a few days' notice that they were coming to the Little League World Series.

"We went home for a day, went, 'Ahhhh,' book your tickets, try to find a hotel," said Schwarzer.

"We had to look very quickly for flights to New York, and of course, to get a hotel here was something very difficult. I'm staying 50 kilometers away from here," said Ana Iriarte from Barcelona, Spain.

Despite being thousands of miles away from home, parents tell Newswatch 16 they wouldn't miss it for the world.

"Whatever it takes to get there and be there for the boys. It's so important for them to have their families here as well," Schwarzer said.

"All of the parents were exactly the same. We all saved and organized time off work to be here. There's no way the kids were coming over here without us being here," Naidello said.

Even so, not everyone could come to South Williamsport.

"Some parents, they couldn't come here. Only the half of the team we are here," Iriarte said.

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