The Sooke Minor Fastball Bantam A boys team is currently fundraising for a trip to the Canadian Western U16 A Championships in Strathmore, Alta. on Aug. 9 to 12.
According to Sandra Nelson, Sooke Minor Fastball president, the boys have been selling firewood, holding Krispy Kreme doughnut fundraisers and are planning a bottle drive.
“The parents are there to support, but it’s mostly the boys that are doing it,” Nelson said. “It’s good, it teaches them to give back to their community.”
There are currently 14 boys on the team, between the ages of 15 and 16, and the tournament will cost approximately $1,500 per family.
“The boys want to go pretty bad,” Nelson said, adding the Canadian Westerns are the “cream of the crop,” in terms of tournaments.
“It’s the top two teams in the province for the four western provinces, so that’s where you’re going to see really good ball, and the boys want to go because they want to play good ball.”
In order to contend for Westerns, the Bantam A boys must first declare their participation in Provincials and Westerns -- which they have done. The teams that place first and second in Provincials, with a declaration for Westerns will advance.
Nelson said she is certain Sooke’s boys will make the cut.
“I’m confident that they’ll go and they’ll show very well at Westerns, having been there and watched the play,” she said. “I think our boys are more than capable of coming home with something around their necks.”
The assertion is not bravado, as the boys have been at the top of their game in recent weeks.
At a Fleetwood tournament in Surrey, B.C. two weekends ago, the boys were gold winners in their division.
Their main prize, however, was defeating one of their top competitors, Chilliwack, 4-2.
The boys then defeated Langford on June 14, 13-5, after a season of very close games.
“They’re starting to get their groove a bit,” Nelson said. “It comes at a very good time.”
Provincials for the Bantam A boys will be on July 6 to 8 in Richmond.