OTTAWA- The World Children’s Baseball Fair took place in August and once again provided a memorable time for five lucky youngsters from Prince Edward Island along with chaperone, Ben Cameron.
The group of six departed Charlottetown in the wee hours of a late July the morning not knowing what to expect as they embarked on their journey across the world. A week later, they returned with smiles, stories and memories from this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“Because of those boys, and the incredible organization and care demonstrated by all of those involved, the 2014 WCBF was an experience I will never forget,” wrote chaperone Ben Cameron in his post-trip essay that was shared amongst local, provincial and national baseball staff.
Taking place in Ehime Prefecture, Japan in 2014, the WCBF brings together over 200 children from 20 countries including Cameroon, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Nepal, Russia and Australia.
The idea of the fair was the brainchild of Japanese Home Run King Sadaharu Oh and MLB Home Run King Hank Aaron with the vision of bringing children around the world together through baseball clinics and cultural exchanges allowing players and volunteers to bond together and create friendships through baseball.
Christopher, one of the five lucky participants from PEI, was admittedly shy and nervous prior to the trip, but by the end was busy chatting away and interacting with his newfound friends.
“(The trip) made me less shy,” he said. “I am usually quiet but when I was there I talked a lot more to different people.
“I was worried about what kind of food they eat and how I would talk to people who did not know English, but we made our own way to communicate with the kids when we got there.”
With the language barrier quickly becoming a thing of the past, participants from all over the world were provided with brand new baseball gear including shirts, shorts, a full WCBF uniform, glove, bat, helmet, cleats, water shoes, cooling spray, and backpack. All participants were now able to get out on to the baseball field to partake in drills ranging from hitting and fielding to everyone’s favourite – sliding practice! Participants particularly enjoyed this drill as it was taught using a slip and slide.
“It was really fun,” said Christopher who also noted that chaperone, Ben and translator, Yuki were amongst the group of eager participants.
“I am certain the joyous squeals of the children could have been heard for miles,” said Ben. “I am also positive that this was absolutely everyone’s favorite station.”
Another great feature of the fair is the opportunity for participants to try different foods from all over the world, which provided a unique learning experience for the young ballplayers.
“One of the foods I tried was Squid, at first they told us it was chicken,” said Jack.
“I did try squid! Yuki, our Japanese host, told us it was chicken! It was good,” added Caleb.
Following baseball drills and games during the day, cultural and tourist activities in the afternoons and evenings provided participants the opportunity to bond and enjoy a cultural experience even though communication was not easy.
“Despite being from opposite sides of the planet, and not being able to verbally communicate, these children quickly realized they shared the same love and passion for sport and games,” explained Ben. “It was a theme I very much appreciated observing throughout the week.”
An off the field highlight came towards the end of the trip at the Goodwill Party where participants are expected to put on a cultural performance representing their country.
“This was the evening the boys had been anxiously and excitedly awaiting,” said Ben. “Being from Prince Edward Island, we had no choice but pay homage to Anne of Green Gables by donning her wigs and singing the song ‘Ice Cream’ from her beloved musical.”
The performance did not disappoint as it earned the performers the evenings biggest ovation leaving the crowd rolling over in laughter.
The performance also signified that it was soon time to and be faced with the reality of saying goodbye to their friends in preparation of the long journey home.
“I think there were mixed emotions for everyone involved,” said Ben. “In the previous week we had all worked side-by-side, shared many laughs and made many great memories.”
