Under sunny skies and near ideal temperatures, Canora Minor Ball Day had the Canora Sportsgrounds buzzing with activity throughout the day on June 10.
A total of 15 games took place; one each for Canora Minor Ball’s nine baseball teams and six girls softball teams.
Kelly McTavish, Canora Minor Ball President, said Minor Ball Day is a great showcase for all the local players, with age groups ranging from 6U to 18U in baseball, and U11 to U17 in the rapidly growing sport of girls softball.
“It allows us to show everyone and to celebrate how far the program has come, and the importance of minor ball to our community,” said McTavish. “It’s a really exciting day with such nice weather, and the players get to enjoy the improvements that have been made to our diamonds recently.”
That feeling of optimism and excitement seemed to be common among volunteers, coaches and managers of the various teams.
“Minor ball day is important to the community because it is a great opportunity for each team to showcase where their skill level is at as well as having all teams play on one day,” said Parker Rice, Canora Reds 8U Senior Rally Cap Team 1 coach. “And when they’re not playing, each team and each player can watch other age groups and get excited for what is to come as they progress with their ball career.
“Coaching our team is exciting because we are trying to take the skill levels of the kids to the next level. We are focusing on the proper batting, catching and throwing techniques.”
Rice said the team is doing well so far this season as a whole, but there is much more excitement still to come.
“We are about one-third done our season and we have had great success against other towns. Even though we don't keep score, we have a strong team and are headed in the right direction.”
Brigitte Herriges coaches the 8U Senior Rally Camp Team 2, and said she enjoys the atmosphere created by Minor Ball Day.
“It/s great to see the Canora Sports Grounds packed with spectators and teams,” said Herriges. “It was amazing to see so many games going on at once and for the younger players to get an opportunity to watch some older teams in baseball and softball games.
“I love seeing the progress in my players and team as a whole. This year, we have a great group of kids who try their hardest and continue to make significant progress with batting and fielding.
“Prior to Canora Minor Ball Day, we played three games. We are now adding ‘outs’ to our games, but still allowing each team to go through their entire batting order in each inning. By doing this, it has added some extra challenge and competition for the players as they run the bases a little faster or field the ball quicker.”
In addition to working on the baseball fundamentals of throwing, fielding and hitting, Herriges and the other adult volunteers on the team are focusing on preparing the players for moving on to older age groups.
“We are also adding in field coverage as some players will be moving on to 11U baseball or U11 softball next season where this knowledge will be more important. Most of all, we are working on good sportsmanship and what it means to be a team, which this group of kids seem to understand very well,” she said.
The U11 Girls Softball Team is coached by Terry Wilson, with Lauren Mentanko as the assistant.
“For the community, Minor Ball Day really fosters a wonderful community spirit that hopefully leaks into everyday life," said Wilson. "In a post COVID-19 world, people are learning to live together and events like this can help remind us how important personal relationships are.”
Wilson said coaching this team is a genuinely enjoyable experience.
“The players bring an energy and enthusiasm to each and every practice and game that is infectious. If you are around our girls and you aren’t having a good time you are missing something!
“Our focus is still on learning the game and developing skills so we can be competitive in future years, but focusing on implementing the skills they have learned has allowed them to experience a couple of wins as well. Our philosophy is ‘Strive to do things the right way and success will come as a by-product.”
Assistant Coach Lauren Mentanko mentioned that Girls Softball started in Canora last year, and the number of teams doubled for 2023.
“Girls from surrounding communities are coming to Canora to engage in an all-girls sport,” said Mentanko. “The mixing of girls from these other communities is opening doors for new friendships and excitement.
“I enjoy being an active role model and encourage teammates to support every effort made, no matter how small it seemed. These efforts add up if you provide positive encouragement along the way.”
Shannon Unick, U15 Girls Softball Team 2 Manager, reported that they had one of the most exciting games of the day, a 13-12 win over Esterhazy.
“This team is coached by Jen Lizuck and Trish Hauber,” said Unick. ”The girls played exceptionally well and gave their fans a great game to watch!”
Amanda Zbitniff serves as manager for two teams, the U15 Girls Softball Team 1 and the 15U Baseball Team.
“The girls suffered a loss against Langenburg, but the baseball team won over Kamsack with a final score of 19-9.
Zbitniff emphasizes the importance of volunteer support to the success of Canora Minor Ball Day.
“Thank you to all the umpires attending that day, accommodating to our hectic schedule and keeping the games running on time. As well, the visiting teams made the effort to travel to Canora. All the parent volunteers of Canora Minor Ball did a lot of work to help the day run smoothly,” said Zbitniff.
