Double trouble

Gander Minor Baseball will be representing the province at two Atlantic championship tournaments this weekend.

After winning its provincial division titles, the Gander Peewee Pilots will be heading to the Peewee AA Atlantic Championships in Oromocto, N.B. Sept. 14-16. Meanwhile, the Gander Mosquito Pilots will be heading to the Mosquito AA Atlantic Championships the same time in Dartmouth, N.S.

Stephen Best, a member of the peewee team, said he was excited after the win at the provincial championships because he knew that meant a trip to the Atlantic tournament.

The 13-year-old said this is his first opportunity to travel outside the province for baseball after four years of playing.

I cant wait to go, said Best. Everyone is going out there, and its going to be so much fun.

After four years of playing baseball, one of Bests teammates, Mitch Bulgin, will also be making his debut on the Atlantic baseball scene.

I think its going to be a once in a lifetime opportunity, said the 12-year-old. I think well do pretty good if we keep practicing.

Coach Mike Stockley said this is the second consecutive year the team has won the provincial championships at the AA level, but it will be the first time the team will compete at the Atlantic level.

He said the team may be at a disadvantage because the provincial championship was over early in August this year.

With the provincial championships finished so early in the summer, our team has not put a lot of time into practice, said Stockley. The players have concentrated on playing house league ball and having fun. They have also put a lot of effort into fund-raising ventures.

However, he added as the Atlantic championship draws nearer, the excitement level continues to grow.

We will begin practicing trying to match the intensity with the excitement level, he said. We are hoping to be competitive with the other teams participating in the Atlantic tournament and very hopeful to come back as Atlantic champions. This should prove to be a great experience for these players and could possibly be the highlight of their minor baseball experience.



Mosquitos

Alex Ings was on the mosquito provincial winning team last year, but will travel to Atlantics for the first time this weekend.

The 10-year-old said he is looking forward to the experience and added the team has been practicing a lot for the championship.

Id say well do really good, said Ings. Id say we might have a chance of winning this.

This isnt Chris Kindens first trip to Atlantics, but it will be his first for baseball.

Its hard to describe, really, said Kinden. Its great because I have been to Atlantics twice for gymnastics and this is going to be my first time actually going out of province for baseball.

He said he is hoping to gain experiences on the trip and learn from the other teams.

Terry Barrett, one of the mosquitos coaches, said the team will benefit from the experience of going away, being able to see what the competition is like in other provinces, and how the team match up to other competition.

The team will have a chance to showcase its skills and try to improve its skills to match the skill level of the other teams, he added.

He said they will also benefit from the stiff competition they will face.

Its only going to make them better the better competition you face, the harder you have to work to bring your own skill level up to that degree. There is not going to be any opportunity for them to go there and have a mediocre game and be successful. They are going to have to work hard every game to be able to compete with these teams.

Right now the team is practicing every aspect of the game to prepare for the Atlantics, because theyll be playing the champions of every other province, and they anticipate the competition will be having some fast pitchers.

Win or lose, it is going to be a great experience for them, said Barrett. I think its going to be a great life experience for them, something they are going to remember forever.

He added no player on the team has been outside the province to play baseball and the team will be able to come home and share their experiences with their friends, hopefully peaking the interest of other children to play baseball.



Two teams

Stockley believes the real story behind two teams qualifying for the

Atlantic Championships is the success of the Gander minor program.

It has been five years since Gander had a team qualify for the Atlantics, said Stockley. And to have two teams in the same year, you may have to go back a long way to find out if this has ever happened before. It is quite possible that this may be a first.

Stockley said over the past three years, the Gander Minor Baseball program has more than doubled in the number of children playing in the minor program.

He added the level of play is also on the rise, as well as parent involvement, which will ensure the future of the program for years to come.

Next season, we are hoping to have our fields upgraded to provincial levels so we can host a variety of invitational and provincial tournaments, said Stockley. It is time now to have the Art Walker Memorial Ballpark upgraded, so our players can use this field for the older divisions. The interest in baseball is back in Gander and we are looking forward to seeing games from all levels back on our fields.