SJAMBA Hits a Double Hosting Two Provincial Championships

Hosting a Provincial Championship at any age group or division isn’t for the faint of heart, but St. James Assiniboia Minor Baseball Association decided to jump in with both feet this season and hosted both 13UAAA and 15UAAA Provincials at Optimist Park over August long weekend.  Initially, they went into the bid with intentions of hosting the 13U event only, but when there was opportunity to also host the 15U event, the ambitious group decided they were ready to take on the challenge!  The opportunity was timely for SJAMBA, as hosting both events allowed them to showcase the recent completion of their park expansion project. 

Optimist Park now has a total of nine diamonds, one of which has been converted to a softball diamond.  For 13U and 15U AAA Provincials, there were three diamonds operating for each division. Christian Marner, AAA Director for SJAMBA, says he feels fortunate to have a park that can facilitate big events and that hosting an event of this size is a great way to showcase their park.  The Association has hosted a number of Provincial Championships over the years, and know what it takes to make it a success. 

Prior to the event, when asked what the hosting group was most looking forward to, Marner says “The AAA players and coaches in Manitoba dedicate a lot of time to the game. Families spend summer weekends touring the province for tournaments and double headers. The Provincial weekend is a such a great way to see how that work has paid off. I am excited to see the best baseball our province has to offer.”  

These events don’t come without their share of challenges however, and the group acknowledged ahead of the weekend that Optimist Park would be very busy with 22 teams attending Provincials. Ahead of the event, Marner said “We've got a total of 57 games to prepare fields for, a canteen to operate, and volunteers to coordinate. It can be hectic, but we are up to the challenge.”  As the weekend unfolded, the biggest challenge was ensuring that games were not affected by all the moving parts behind the scenes. “We wanted to make sure the teams could focus on baseball.” 

The combined 13U/15U AAA Provincial Championship event required approximately 250 volunteer hours during the weekend, with roughly 50 volunteers. That does not include the hours that board members put in leading up to Provincials. Marner puts a shout out to some key volunteers: “Moe Gervais was instrumental in getting the newest 15U diamond complete in time for Provincials. Our volunteer coordinator, Adele Desjarlais, worked incredibly hard to make sure we had every shift covered. Our St James A's families stepped up big time. I couldn't be happier with our volunteers. Our field crews worked tirelessly to make sure diamonds were prepped for each game. I'd also like to recognize the umpires and the UICs who managed the hectic schedule incredibly well.”

SJAMBA has many sponsors that make an event of that magnitude possible: Kelman and Associates, Canadian Western Bank, Element Maintenance, Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP, Gardewine, Portage Mutual Insurance, ATS Traffic, Home Run Sports Training Centre, Birchwood Automotive Group, Jacuzzi Hot Tubs of Manitoba. 

Players, coaches, and fans enjoyed the weekend, with reports that the event was well ran. Haley Hayward, Baseball Manitoba’s Media & Communications Coordinator attended the event, which included a combined Opening Ceremony and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new diamond.  Hayward says the ceremony did a good job of “tying together the past and the future success of the association”. It included Baseball Manitoba President, Roger Langlais, Mayor Scott Gillingham and MLA Scott Johnson.  Hayward says “It was the perfect way to start off a Provincial Championship weekend, and Baseball Manitoba was proud to be a part of this momentous occasion!”

Reflecting on the weekend, the SJAMBA hosting group says they are confident it was a success and would consider doing this again. 

Congratulations to St. James Assiniboia Minor Baseball Association for hosting a successful Provincial weekend for our 13U and 15U AAA Leagues!