Dave Leaderhouse
Special to the Herald
Things should seem a little more normal for the Prince Albert Minor Softball Association following a couple of years where the World Cup of Softball was front and centre in the community.
“The pros certainly outweigh the cons, but we are happy to be back on the diamonds full-time” says association commissioner Steve Climenhaga. “It was short-term pain for long-term gain. You just have to look around here (Max Power Ball Parks at Prime Ministers’ Park) and see we have world-class facilities here.”
Originally set to hit the diamonds on May 1, minor softball, like every other outdoor sport in the area, has been delayed until the white stuff disappears and the fields are given an appropriate amount of time to dry out. Until then the house teams will have to wait while the developmental teams will continue to work out at the Alfred Jenkins Field House.
Climenhaga says the registration numbers, which is about 150 for the house level and the same for developmental teams, is on par to last year, but remains far behind what the sport historically has seen in the city.
“Boy’s registration is low, not just here but provincially,” says Climenhaga. “There are maybe 25 teams province wide.”
“Baseball has really taken off,” adds Climenhaga in trying to explain why the decline has been so severe. “Players get tired of playing the same team all the time.”
The schedule for the house teams, which has divisions for girls in U5 to U13 age classes and boys from U5 to U11, is generally completed by the end of June while the developmental teams play well into the summer.
The developmental teams, also known as provincial teams, are U11 to U17 for the girls and U13 to U20 for the boys. The girls, known as the Aces, and the boys, who carry the Astros as a moniker, compete in as many as five tournaments during the year in addition to the Rawlings Cup, an event held at several locations that allows competing teams to gain provincial ranking points.
Prince Albert will host one of those Rawling Cup tournaments when the U13 and U17 boys will gather at Prime Ministers’ Park on May 23-24. The biggest event held here each year, however, is the Shay Amundson Memorial tournament which this year will be held May 29-31 and feature 32 teams in the U11-U17 divisions.
“Play it for Shay” has become one of the most popular tournaments in the province with a waiting list generally needed due to the high volume of team applications. Proceeds from the event help minor softball to offer scholarships to players in honour of the local player who tragically lost her life in a car accident 10 years ago.
With the World Softball events of the past two years now in the rear-view mirror, Climenhaga says the local group can return to applying to host provincial championships and this year the
city will see the Astros host the U17 and U20 events on July 10-12 at Max Power Ball Parks in PMP.
While not associated with minor softball there is also the Sportsman Softball League which will see six or seven teams of senior ball players competing twice a week at PMP. One or two of the Astro teams will be part of that circuit getting in additional game action in preparation for the provincial playdowns in their respective divisions.
“We should be fielding some very competitive teams,” says Climenhaga. “We are looking forward to a very good season.”
Prince Albert is very fortunate to have some of the best facilities in the province, if not Western Canada, and Climenhaga acknowledges the city workers who do an exceptional job in preparing and maintaining them. He also says the city is very well known for its volunteers and extends a huge shout out to them as well.
All systems are go for an exciting year on the diamonds. All that is needed is the snow cover to be replaced with dust.
