THE UHDE FAMILY

LARKS HOST FAMILY SINCE 2018

“Host families are the foundation and backbone of the Northwoods League,” said Bismarck Larks CEO and Founder John Bollinger. 

From the inception of the Northwoods League in 1994, families and individuals have offered their homes and provided welcoming food and lodging for student-athletes traveling from across the country. These host families are the number one fans of not only the team but the players they are hosting that season.

The Larks have an abundance of host families that join us each season and one person volunteers their time to oversee the entire operation. Enter Alicia Uhde.

Alicia is the Host Family Coordinator for the Bismarck Larks. She works full-time at Bismarck State College as their Polytechnic Program Outreach Director and contributes her free time to being the Larks Host Family Coordinator.

Alicia and her husband Tom have been a Larks Host Families since the 2018 season.

“We liked the idea of having another older figure that our kids could look up to in the home,” said Alicia when asked why they became a host family.

“It’s a great way to give back to the community. We’ve met some great kids and would have never had the opportunity to if we had never become a host family.”

She handles everything from ensuring each player is paired with the right family, to planning host family events that allow everyone to mingle and better know each other.

From the moment Manager Mark Weidemaier signs players to their summer contracts, Alicia immediately gets to work. She’ll contact the player and their family to introduce herself and welcome them to the team.

From there, her focus shifts to figuring out who the player is, their likes and dislikes, and which family would they fit best with. If they are allergic to dogs or prefer to be in a household without children, it’s Alicia’s job to find the best fit for the player and the family hosting them.

Once Alicia’s spreadsheet perfectly matches each player to their ideal family she then starts introducing the players to their respective host families for the summer.

“At the beginning of the season, it’s nerve-racking when the players arrive.” We want to make sure the player’s experience is the best it can be and those first few days of players arriving is the true test to see if all your planning went well,” said Alicia when asked what the most difficult part of being the Host Family Coordinator is.

“She is a wonderful organizer and is always checking if we need anything,” said Cindy Weekes, a four-year host family participant going into her fifth year.

“Not a week goes by that she doesn’t check on us to keep things running smoothly throughout the summer.”

“Alicia is invaluable to the host families,” said Mary Soucie, a four-year host family who has signed on for her fifth year in 2023.

“She makes being a host family easy and I appreciate her commitment to the host families, players, and the Larks.”

While people like Cindy and Mary take in players for the summer and treat them as their own children, Alicia and Tom add to the number of kids running around the house.

The Uhde’s are a family of five with three children under the age of 10. Now add four players into the mix and you’d think things in the Uhde household might get a little hectic. It’s quite the opposite.

Not only do Alicia and Tom love having the players around, but the players love being around their kids and vice versa. They all have nothing but amazing things to say about Alicia and her family.

“Thank you for everything you do for us and it definitely doesn’t go unnoticed,” said Spencer Sarringar, the former Larks Catcher who has spent the last two summers with the Uhde family.

“They’re one of the best host families I’ve had in my three years of playing summer ball,” said Luke Glascoe, former Outfielder for the Larks in 2022.

“This is an opportunity to support young athletes and help them fulfill their dreams of making it to the majors,” said Alicia when asked why someone should consider becoming a host family.

“All the guys have been incredibly respectful and appreciative. They are mature young adults having spent at least one year in college and we’ve never had a bad experience with a player in our five years of hosting.”