With the 2013 baseball season right around the corner Baseball.ca will visit with each of the 10 Provincial organizations during a 10 week period. This week we meet with Baseball BC Executive Director, David Laing.
While the snow is just starting to melt across the majority of Canada, folks in British Columbia are nearly a month into their baseball season.
Registration numbers are starting to come in already and according to Baseball BC Executive Director David Laing, the game is experiencing growth in some areas.
“Most leagues are now up and running, and initial reports suggest we are holding our ground on overall registration numbers,” he said. “Some areas are seeing huge increases at the entry level due in large part to the Rally Cap Program being adoption by local associations.”
Laing also spoke of a new initiative that associations are using to help attract new players to the game by involving current players.
“Several associations are utilizing ‘Bring a Friend To Baseball Events, he said - to try and raise awareness and to allow young people not involved in our sport what a good time it can be.”
Rally Cap has had a major impact on associations that have adopted the program into their development systems.
The feedback has been nothing but positive and the program is proving to keep kids involved in the sport beyond just their Rally Cap experience.
“We are seeing a substantial increase in the number of athletes that are sticking with our sport after their year one experience in the Rally Cap Program,” offered Laing. “This is opposed to our traditional programming of Blastball and T Ball.
“Rally Cap is the greatest program ever to come out of Baseball Canada and that sentiment is ringing loud and clear in BC from those associations that have fully embraced the program and adopted it as their entry level program.”
At last month’s World Baseball Classic, BC led the way with 12 players on Canada’s roster including former American League MVP Justin Morneau (New Westminster, BC) and Michael Saunders (Victoria, BC) who hit .727 with a home run in three games en route to being named Pool D MVP.
Arguably the greatest player to come out of BC, and Canada, Larry Walker was a member of the coaching staff as First Base Coach.
Canada’s only affiliated minor league baseball team, the Vancouver Canadians, have enjoyed a tremendous two-year partnership with the Toronto Blue Jays as their Short Season affiliate.
The Canadians have achieved success both on and off the field with back-to-back league championships in front of record setting crowds at historic Nat Bailey Stadium.
The Blue Jays realize the passion and appetite for baseball in BC and will be conducting three Honda Super Camps in the province this summer.
Nat Bailey Stadium in Vancouver will welcome Roberto Alomar, Homer Bush, Cecil Fielder, Candy Maldonado, Lloyd Moseby, Tanyon Sturtze and Devon White as guest instructors from June 25-27.
Alomar, Moseby and Ward will be joined by Jesse Barfield in Nanaimo from August 19-21 before heading to Kelowna August 22-24.
For registration information, please click HERE.
Another popular program in BC, and hopefully across Canada soon, is Challenger Baseball which provides kids with physical or cognitive disabilities the opportunity to enjoy all the benefits of playing baseball.
BC has 15 associations that have an active Challenger Baseball program with more on the way soon!
For information on Challenger Baseball in BC, please visit: www.bcchallengerbaseball.com and for more information on Baseball BC, please visit www.baseballbc.com
