Cherry Valley Woman Has Standing ‘Date’ with Baseball Legend Smith
By TARA BARNWELL
CHERRY VALLEY
Ozzie Smith has a true fan here in Otsego County.
“I get so excited every year that I get Ozzie Smith’s signature,” Madisyn Reyome said.
Reyome and her mother, Nicole VanDerwerker, live in Cherry Valley. Madisyn graduated from Cherry Valley-Springfield Central School in 2022. VanDerwerker is a mortgage closer at Farm Credit East.
“In 2010, I wanted to see what the induction was all about. I’ve lived here all of my life and I never actually went to the induction,” Reyome said. “Each year we are in line with die-hard Ozzie Smith fans. The first time I got his signature was in 2010. I was 6 years old then, in kindergarten.”
“I just started chatting with him and I’ve had my picture taken with him every year since, except for two years during COVID,” she said. “In 2013, I had just broken my wrist and he remembered me and asked, ‘what happened?!’”
Her mother added that it’s always fun to be in line with Ozzie fans.
“The camaraderie is fantastic. People are in such awe of these players,” VanDerwerker said.
“Ozzie asked me what I was going to do with myself after high school. I am studying veterinary technology, to be a vet tech, at SUNY Canton. I live on campus and love it,” Reyome said.
Reyome is 19 years old and Smith is 68, so they should have plenty more years to continue this tradition.
“I’ll be there waiting in line for his signature every year. I have 11 pictures and lots of baseballs that are signed,” Reyome said.
Her mother takes the pictures, then prints them out to take to the next year’s signing.
“It’s a great keepsake,” Reyome said. “I have all of the photos in frames on my bookshelf in my bedroom.”
