CARLYLE - Carlyle Lions Park Campground was filled with female ball players between the ages of 10 and 15 on Wednesday, July 5 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
222's Fastpitch Mega Camp is a series of day camps set in communities in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. For the month of July the 222’s team hits the road hosting various camps such as a Position Player Camp where techniques such as hitting, throwing, catching, infield, outfield and running are taught. There is also an option for a three-hour Pitching Camp.
222’s was started in 1967 in the Melfort area. In 1967 the local seniors men's team in Melfort changed their names to the 222’s as a result of the team's sponsor Bill Frost who owned the local drug store. When Frost sponsored the team he called them the 222’s because in his words the team was a headache and he often required the aid of the once popular pain tablets 222’s. The team went on to win the league and the provincial titles in 1968 making the team the first to represent Melfort at a national championship. The team stayed active before it folded in 1978.
In 1984, the 222’s name resurfaced in Melfort as a result of a boys’ bantam team that were being coached by pitching expert Doug Holoien. The group went on to win major national championships and Western Canadian championships in the six years they played together. This was a remarkable feat considering the community had a population of 5,000. What was born out of this feat was the recognition that work ethic and the commitments of the coach and players to learn the fundamentals was the backbone of their success. The attention paid to the fundamentals is the core values and traditions are what make up every 222’s Fastpitch Camp.
222’s, owned by Doug Holoien and Keith Mackintosh, is committed to elite instructions in every aspect of the game and they involve additional elite coaches, former national team members and current college athletes.
The three Alumni that taught the Carlyle group alongside MacKintosh are part of the College Alumni Travel Team program which is another camp put on by the 222’s. These athletes attend over 33 events in the United States in one year.
Starting with an email response from Holoien, continuing on with a conversation with MacKintosh, and googling the 222’s website, the high caliber focus and true professional pride was heard loud and clear. It’s no wonder there was a great turn out of participants from the southeast corner of the province.
