State of the Cougars

Howard Park, Wilmette, Illinois

Opening Day, 18th Season

President Cougar

My fellow Cougars, family, friends, and faithful fans—

Two days from now the Cougars will walk through our field of green and climb the rise at Howard Park, reaching a place where the fields stretch wide and the spirit soars—our shining city of diamonds.

On Tuesday, the Cougars will start our 18th season.

In 2025, we Cougars are a combination of old and young. Your favorite team has players from both the old guard and the new generation together.

For a team, as for a nation, it is the meeting of wisdom and vigor that gives equilibrium and strength.

And make no mistake: the state of the Cougars is strong!

We are the longest-standing 16-inch softball team in Wilmette—standing firm, standing tall, standing proud.

Our active players and social members tell the story of America herself: a parade of generations.

Teens, twenties, thirties, forties, fifties, sixties, and seventies—all standing side by side on the sidelines.

On opening night, the Cougars will play with enthusiasm to defeat our opponent and play with gratitude for our time on the field.

After the last out, we will gather under twilight skies to break bread with high spirits.

Wins are sweeter together and losses sting less when we gather around the fire of fellowship that we have circled for years.

And so, on Tuesday, we lace ’em up once more because the game we play is not just a game.

It is a spirit—a working spirit, a Chicago spirit—where it doesn’t matter whether you’re manning a forklift or keyboard, whether you’re using screwdrivers or spreadsheets, or whether you lace up steel-toed boots or wingtips.

In Chicagoland, whether at work or at play, it’s not the tools of your trade that define you—it’s the heart in your chest, the grit in your soul, and the strength in your grip.

We are the City of Big Shoulders and broken fingers. And 16-inch softball is a proud part of that legacy.

On Tuesday, we will carry our youthful spirit up that green rise to our shining city on the hill to capture one more day of glory.

The American spirit is alive and well at Howard Park.

Thank you.

God bless the Cougars.

God bless 16-inch softball.

And God bless America.

Go Cougars!

Cougars

2008 - 2025