Nine-year-old Tymofii Alimpiiva, a Ukrainian refugee, plays baseball like he’s been catching and throwing his whole life, but this is his first time on a baseball diamond.
“I’m proud of him, because I know it’s hard,” Victoria Alimpiiva, Tymofii’s mother, said.
She fled war-torn Ukraine one month ago with Tymofii and her 3-year-old daughter.
What You Need To Know
- Victoria Alimpiiva and her two children fled war-torn Ukraine one month ago and now live with her husband's grandmother in Brooklyn
- Alimpiiva's husband is still in Kyiv, waiting to be called to join the Ukrainian army
- About 142 kids of all different skills levels and backgrounds are participating in the Brooklyn Cyclones Kids Camp
- Kids get to learn baseball from Brooklyn Cyclones players, coaches and staff during the three-day program
“In Ukraine now is so dangerous, and we can’t live normal life,” said Alimpiiva. “We must stay at home all the time.”
Alimpiiva’s husband is still in Kyiv, waiting to be called to join the Ukrainian army.
“My husband doesn’t see me, doesn’t see my kids, he doesn’t see my daughter. He doesn’t see her smile,” Alimpiiva said. “It’s so hard. I want to cry because it’s so hard for us.”
Alimpiiva and her children live with her husband’s grandmother in Brooklyn while they’re trying to get accustomed to the United States.
“It’s hard for Tyma, because he doesn’t understand English and he tries,” Alimpiiva said. “He always tries to learn.”
Tymofii is taking part in the Brooklyn Cyclones Kids Camp at Maimonides Park in Coney Island. A local organization serving Ukrainian refugees helped secure his free admission to the kids’ camp.
“Their family life has been changed dramatically,” Brooklyn Cyclones Vice President Steve Cohen said. “And even though this kid has never played baseball in his life, now it helps him understand the American culture a little bit.”
About 142 kids of all different skills levels and backgrounds are taking part in the three-day program. They get to learn the game from Cyclones players and coaches, while also socializing with other children.
“Everybody loves baseball,” Luis Rivera, manager of the Brooklyn Cyclones, said. “It’s good for development, character, helps kids to be leaders. I think baseball brings a lot of good things for kids.”
Alimpiiva said she appreciates Brooklyn offering her safety and a sense of normalcy as she navigates her new life.
“In New York, I see more happy people. I speak normally with people. My kids speak as normal kids, play with him. It’s no problem,” she said.