Tarp Skunks Fan Receives Season Tickets, Meets Beloved Mascot
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Everyone has dreams. For city resident Vincent Ognibene, these dreams involve his beloved Jamestown Tarp Skunks.
At 21 years old, Vincent has autism and a few other disabilities that his mother, Alicia, said do not limit him in any way. He has always been a fan of the minor league baseball team in Jamestown, first when they were the Jammers and now as the Tarp Skunks.
"He is always on the go and wants to do so much with everybody," Alicia Burch said. "He loves the Tarp Skunks -- he talks about them all of the time."
Vincent often asks his mom to drive by Russell Diethrick Park and see if the Tarp Skunks' mascot, Whiffy, is there or if the Tarp Skunks are playing. Vincent said he started to print off pictures of Whiffy, including taping one to the back of his phone. He even printed off pictures that he gave to his dad on his dad's birthday. Vincent said he also got a Facebook page last year and will often message the Tarp Skunks, saying things like how he is looking forward to the game.
Vincent has also printed out the calendar for the games and crosses the days off as they come.
Melissa Paterniti, a friend of the family, decided with the help of some other friends to try and secure season passes for Vincent and his mother.
"Vinny is a special guy in a lot of people's lives so I thought how can this guy have a special time with just Whiffy?" Paterniti said. "I reached out to Patrick Smeraldo (with Collaborative Children's Solutions) to see if we could get the OK for Vincent to be able to throw out the first pitch at Christmas in July. Patrick said sure, so a plan was put into motion by reaching out to some friends and asking if they wanted to help. Of course, they said yes and I was able to secure a season ticket for Vincent to be able to attend all the home games."
Paterniti also reached out to Christian Dolce, general manager with the Tarp Skunks, who was able to help get season passes for both Vincent and his mom.
"Vinny has been a huge fan for the past two seasons," Dolce said. "In my time as an intern, I noticed him here at all of the games, cheering the team on. Now, as general manager, I hope to continue to see him at all of the games. So when Melissa reached out about season tickets, she had people who were going to help buy them but she was wondering about a donation. We graciously donated them and I look forward to seeing Vinny and his mom at the rest of the games, wearing merch and rocking it at the ballpark."
Smeraldo, who is in charge of the Christmas in July event, said he was happy to help Vincent live out his dream.
"Melissa reached out to me because we are hosting the Christmas in July event," Smeraldo said. "It's a Sunday evening, double header game and there will be fireworks following. We arranged it so Vinny will throw the first pitch at the five o'clock game, and help a child live out a local dream by throwing the first pitch at the game."
For now, the plan is for Vincent to throw the pitch; but first, the 21-year-old said he needs to get more comfortable with Whiffy.
A plan was set in place for Vincent to meet the mascot on May 23.
"With a little bit of time and talking, Vincent did manage to turn fear into excitement with his tickets and gear," Paterniti said. "Before the night was over he wanted the Tarp Skunks to play that night. Maybe he was just glad Whiffy returned to his hole. Vincent warmed up and thanked everyone for the gift and managed to even laugh and smile before the night was over."
For Vincent there has always been anxiety surrounding people in costume. At a recent Christmas parade, she said he did good with costumes that he knew, such as the Grinch and Santa, but when he saw unfamiliar ones such as Olaf, he got nervous and left. At Halloween he likes to dress up and go Trick-Or-Treating but if they see an unfamiliar costume Alicia Ognibene said they will cross the street.
When the team was the Jamestown Jammers, Vincent had a similar problem with the Grape Ape. He was OK with seeing him from a distance at first, but eventually worked up to a photograph of him hugging the mascot. Alicia Burch hopes they will work up to the same with Whiffy.
"When he saw Whiffy up close he did get scared and bolted," she said. "When we left he cried and asked if Whiffy was mad at him, and I said he understands that sometimes people get scared. He is ok with Whiffy at a distance. Our goal is to get a picture with him and Whiffy at the end of the year."
Even though he has had a hard time so far getting closer to Whiffy, another favorite feature for Vincent is the bench with the Tarp Skunks logo outside of the stadium. Alicia Ognibene said he even gets excited about it, and recently made them stop and take a picture of him on the bench.
At the moment, Alicia Burch said she has been talking to him about how Whiffy is just a mascot.
"We've been talking about how he's not actually a big skunk, and he's not going to spray him and doesn't live in a hole," she said. "He's not scared of him from a distance."
The goal remains to get Vincent more comfortable with Whiffy. The family is set to return to the stadium for opening night on Thursday, and Paterniti said she and some other friends are going for support.
Vincent also now owns merchandise from the Tarp Skunks, and wears them every day.
"We learned that Vincent isn't a fan of surprises but also learned that this young man can warm up to anything with time and patience," Paterniti said. "Vincent spends a lot of time talking about Whiffy and perhaps that stuffed skunk will help him warm up to one day stand next to Whiffy and create more great memories for him and his friends and family. Growth is sometimes baby steps and we can't wait to see what Vincent accomplishes throughout this season."
Once he is more comfortable, Alicia Burch said Vincent thinks he will even play with the team.
"He really wants to hit the ball and throw the ball," she said. "Maybe we will arrange something for him to be able to meet the players."
Another of Vincent's favorite things to do is clean, even working one day a week cleaning at the National Comedy Center. Ognibene said maybe he could clean for the Tarp Skunks someday and help in that way.
More than anything, Alicia Burch said her son is very loving.
"He loves everybody," she said. "He is the most caring person ever."