Minor ball is back in Clyde.
Although registration came to a close on April 15, Clyde Minor Ball representative Linda McCoy said the association will be taking late registrations until the season starts in early May.
“We’re just trying to keep ball growing,” she said. “It seems to be declining in numbers in the past few years.”
This year the association boasts four teams in three age categories — one T-ball team, two rookie teams and one mosquito team — consisting of roughly 45 players.
All four teams will be at Eleanor Hall School on April 22 for the first night, McCoy said, which will serve several purposes.
“The main purpose of it is to have the kids who are currently registered to come and have their first night and just to do some ball drills,” she said.
The evening will also serve as a parents’ meeting, and give kids who are “kind of on the fence” about playing a chance to see what ball is all about by allowing them to take part in the drills on the team they would play on given their age.
This year’s numbers are above where they were in 2013, McCoy said, which themselves were down from 2012.
Having enrolment climb this year has created a hope that future years will see the association continue to grow and thrive.
“There’s some strong numbers at the younger age group, so hopefully next year we’ll be able to continue to build on to the higher levels,” she said.
With the weather still inconsistent, teams will continue to practise indoors at the school for the next few weeks, McCoy said, with outdoor practices starting in early May, “if Mother Nature co-operates.”
Although the league and potential opponents for Clyde’s teams haven’t been determined yet, McCoy said the usual opponents each year include Athabasca and communities east of Clyde, like Redwater and Wasketenau.
T-ball, rookie and mosquito are the three youngest ages of minor ball, consisting of kids born in 2008-2010 (T-ball), 2007-2008 (junior rookie), 2005-2006 (senior rookie) and 2003-2004 (mosquito).
McCoy said she encourages any and all kids to come out and at least give baseball a try.
“It’ll be a fun activity for kids to do in the spring season and just hopefully keep the interest in ball,” she said.
