Dave Leaderhouse
Special to the Herald
While the Grand Slam tournament for boys softball teams held last weekend struggled to attract an abundance of entries, that will not be the case this weekend when the girls take over the diamonds for the sixth annual Shaye Amundson Memorial Tournament to be played at the Max Power Ball Park in Prime Ministers’ Park.
There are 27 teams from across the province, and even a couple from outside the boundaries, ready to compete for titles in four age groups – U11, U13, U15 and U17. Tournament co-ordinator Amy Fiddler says the event continues to be one that is circled on the calendar every year.
“I think it has a lot to do with us having world-class diamonds; probably the best in Western Canada,” acknowledges Fiddler. “Plus there is good competition and it is well run.”
Another factor is that funds raised from the tournament go into a scholarship fund that has been established to honour the memory of Shaye Amundson, a local ball player who tragically lost her life in a car accident a decade ago.
Fiddler says that players from Prince Albert and the surrounding area who are planning on attending a post-secondary institution can submit their names on the Prince Albert Softball Association website and they will be considered for a scholarship, which is generally awarded in February or March of each year.
The late spring has delayed most clubs from getting outdoors, but for a pair of local teams they got a good taste of game action last weekend at an event held in Warman. The U13 Aces advanced all the way to the championship final and at one point defeated a club from Calgary that was already 36-0 on the season. The U15 Aces also had a strong tournament as they qualified for the playoff round before being eliminated.
This weekend’s tournament will see eight teams compete in the U11 division while there will be six each in the U13 and U15 groupings. The U17 age class had a last-minute cancellation leaving that event with seven teams. All events will feature a local Aces team with the U11 group having a pair of local entries.
“Every team is guaranteed four games with the round-robin games to be played on Friday and Saturday,” says Fiddler. “Gold-medal games in all age classes will be played Sunday afternoon.”
The tournament is one of many used by teams to prepare for upcoming provincial playdowns scheduled for early July. Prince Albert will in fact host the U15 championships with some of the teams competing here this weekend expected to be back for that event.
Fiddler noted that the number of girls playing softball has “taken off” this year so there will be good competition at all levels.
“There is going to be some fantastic ball, but it is going to be a scorcher,” says Fiddler.
With the heat wave that is settling over the area expected to last into next week, fans are urged to be careful when attending the games this weekend. Concession services will be available on site, but fans should make sure they are hydrated and if possible have some means to provide shade and comfort while watching the action.
