This past weekend Fastball St. Albert successfully hosted its 24th annual invitational tournament which ignited a buzz and excitement with local players, say organizers.
The event drew 59 teams, 15 of which were local St. Albert Angels squads, amounting to 180 local athletes. Over the course of the weekend, 148 games were played across three different diamond locations: Meadowview, Henry Singer, and Lorne Akins.
The tournament, which ran from June 9th to the 11th, took place against a backdrop of environmental concerns. Recent smoky conditions led to the cancellation of other local athletic events, including the SAMBA’s Larry Rindero Memorial Tournament. Thankfully, the skies have cleared up, allowing the invitational to proceed without a hitch.
Angels teams had a particularly strong showing at the event, winning bronze in the U11A division, silver in the U11 House division, gold and bronze in the U13A division, bronze in the U13B division, and gold in the U15A division.
Shelley McIntosh, President of Fastball St. Albert, is very pleased with the outcome.
"The tournament was a great success," she said, noting the joy on many young faces playing late under the lights for the first time.
"We heard so much buzz and excitement from players, teams, and fans. Meadowview is a fun facility to play at and really brings the community together.”
However, even as the event was celebrated, McIntosh touched on the challenges of putting on a tournament of this size. The organization grapples with a lack of dedicated facilities for softball, a sport predominantly played by females in the region.
"Softball currently does not have its own home in St. Albert," McIntosh said. "We have to practice at school diamonds, many of which are being taken away and not replaced by the city, which means we have had to source practice diamonds outside of St. Albert."
“Unfortunately, girls' softball is struggling for available fields and quality diamonds versus the wonderful facility for boys' baseball in St. Albert,” said FSA’s vice president Cam Knechtel.
“Our organization has been forced to rent facilities in Edmonton and surrounding areas to meet the demand of our teams and provide programming.”
As a result, Fastball St. Albert has had to partner with other groups, like St. Albert Men's Slo Pitch. This arrangement, while beneficial, presents logistical challenges, particularly during big events like the annual invitational.
"Getting umpires in the right places and all of the equipment and supplies to locations can be a challenge," McIntosh said.
"It is also harder for all of our families and volunteers who travel to complete volunteer shifts at locations their player is not even playing at. A St. Albert location would obviously make this easier for everyone and certainly make our athletes proud if they had a home of their own."
Community partners play a crucial role in the success of such tournaments and McIntosh expressed deep gratitude to St. Albert Men's Slo Pitch for their support.
"We are so grateful they allow us to use their facility a few times a year. Without this, all of our hosting would be done outside of St. Albert even though we are a St. Albert association."
