If you build it, they will come…

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/04/2021 (1815 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A dedicated board, six community clubs and an all-star roster of corporate sponsors are all contributing to the success of the St. James Assiniboia Minor Baseball Association, which is looking forward to the upcoming season.

The organization oversees the game for players between the ages of four and 21 in St. James and Headingley and it was put to the test in 2020, when, even during the pandemic, it was able to have a season, president Jeff Turnbull said.

Due to the late start of play, however, 2020 registrations were down from their normal levels but they have begun to recover this year, with numbers up 100 from 2020 as of last week.
Turnball said organizers work hard to provide players with a great experience. They offer skills programs and free drop-in clinics in school gyms during the winter and they are diligently working on Optimist Park, which is the focal point of baseball in the area.

“We’re trying to grow the game again and expanding the park is a big part of that,” Turnbull said.

The place has come a long way since board member Ken Kurtz first played there in the 1970s and it was hidden at the end of a gravel road. Then came the advent of CentrePort and its resultant reconfiguration of surrounding roadways. With renewed visibility and easier access, SJAMBA saw a vision of its own and began to add additional diamonds, parking lots and batting cages at Optimist Park.

“We’re well on our way,” Kurtz said. “We have a vision of having, at the end of the day, nine fenced diamonds. We’ll be the only park in 500 miles that can hostprovincials Western Canadians and Canadians in all the different age groups.”

It’s an expensive dream, as the cost of building one diamond can approach $250,000. That’s on top of the cost of maintaining the existing 40-acre site, which SJAMBA covers on its own and for which it is constantly raising funds. Keeping the park up-to-date and operational has been possible because of the support of politicians at all levels of government  and a strong roster of local businesses who sponsor individual diamonds.

“If I had to use a baseball analogy I’d say we’re in the seventh inning,” said Brad Peacock, fundraising director for the association. “Our corporate supporters have been great.”

SJAMBA sponsors include Birchwood Automotive Group, Enns Brothers, Gardewine, Portage Mutual Insurance and the Thompson Dorfman Sweatman law firm.

Players usually begin playing through one of the area’s local commnity centres or associations: Assiniboia West Recreation Association; Deer Lodge Community Centre; Headingley Recreation Association; Heritage Victoria Community Centre; Kirkfield Westwood Community Centre or Sturgeon Heights Community Centre.

Kurtz credits those programs for instilling a passion for the game in kids. For those who keep playing into their teens, the board’s goal is to welcome them to the top facility in Manitoba.  

“When the kids get a little older and want to concentrate on baseball they’ll see we’ve got a facility like no other,” Kurtz said.

“We really have developed the best ball diamonds in the province… and we’ve only been able to do that because local companies stepped up and helped sponsor,” Peacock added.

More business partners are needed to help SJAMBA take it through the ninth inning. If your business can help, Turnbull and Peacock suggest you visit SJAMBA at www.stjamesminorbaseball.net or on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Registration and program information is also availableon the website. Games are expected to begin in May.