The numbers are growing and the executive is now in place for a year of resurgent baseball in Prince George.
"We have 39 people here which I believe is a record," said Lori Walters, treasurer of the Prince George Youth Baseball Association (PGYBA), taking the attendance at last week's annual general meeting.
This past year's registration was up 18 per cent over the year before, and that was also a season of bigger numbers than usual. The number of kids who played baseball in 2016 was 515, and there are signs that the coming 2017 season will be just as big, or bigger.
A record number of adults also attended a recent coaching caravan, a provincial program whereby local coaches or aspiring coaches are given training from B.C. Baseball. In fact, according to PGYBA information, Prince George had the best coaching caravan attendance in the province.
"The highlight of the year had to be the Lomak Midget Knights winning provincials, and they did it on home field, with the stands full, the place was roaring, the way it ended was spectacular," said Shawn Clarke, PGYBA's all-star coordinator. "We also got better results throughout our all-star program, top to bottom, than we've ever had before. The province now knows who we are."
PGYBA obtained grant money, had an uptick in registrations, and managed its cash carefully, according to treasurer Walters, so the financial picture is strong. However, higher player numbers means higher pressure on the available fields, a need for more umpires, and dependable inventory of common equipment provided to each team like baseballs and catcher's gear. Maintenance and upgrades during the off-season, and timely grooming during the on-season, are key to retaining the numbers for future success.
The advent of the Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre at UNBC has changed the reality for Prince George baseball, according to the PGYBA executive. For the past two seasons, training all-star players in the winter has been possible, and preliminary discussions happened at the AGM towards streamlining and expanding that opportunity.
A new set of voting executive members was elected to the PGYBA board during the meeting. Outgoing president Brenda Astorino was applauded for her years of service to the organization, and to the B.C. Baseball board to which she was also appointed on Prince George's behalf.
"It was an amazing experience with a passionate group of people at the provincial level who give so much for baseball-playing youth in B.C.," she said. "We do it so our kids are safe, so baseball is safe, and our organization can grow with us and act as a role model to these young people who love the game and become young men and women through the sport."
The 2016-17 PGYBA executive
President: Carmen Martin
Vice-Presidents: Leanne Warner, Darren Heggelund, Jasmine Yandeau
Player Agent: Amanda Langevin
Treasurer: Lori Walters
Secretary: Mary Fillion
Coach Co-ordinator: Ken Wood
All-Star Co-ordinator: Shawn Clarke
Umpire Co-ordinator: Michael McLachlan
Uniform Co-ordinator: Terry Collins
Equipment Co-ordinator: Frank Peebles
