Winnipeg South Wolves ready to play ball

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This article was published 13/07/2021 (1639 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg South Wolves junior baseball team and the Winnipeg South Minor Baseball Association (WSMBA) aim to build a baseball program that will stand the test of time.

Together the organizations are creating the infrastructure to ensure a consistent delivery of programs so every child who wants to play baseball in the region can do so. It’s taken much effort over the past few years, but the early results are promising.

Tim Scharer, a member of the junior team’s board of directors, said he decided to create a junior program a couple of years ago, not just a junior team.

He described a cycle whereby people organized teams but once their children aged out, the teams folded. Scharer knew it was important to expand the organization’s programming and volunteer base so the it could withstand those inevitabilities.

A group developed a non-profit board to run the junior program, reached out to WSMBA and brought in volunteers such as  junior program president Gary Bell.

Beyond administrative tasks, the board’s work includes fundraising for capital projects such as dugout and stand improvements along with a soon-to-be-unveiled scoreboard at the Charleswood Place baseball facility at 6390 Wilkes Ave.

“When my son started playing at Charleswood Place they had such potential there that we just needed someone to take the bull by the horns and help lead the way,” Scharer said.

Bell and fellow board member Don Harvey recruited some private and corporate sponsors, which showed the commitment needed to secure funds from the City of Winnipeg via Coun. Kevin Klein (Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood).

The program is also about developing leaders, serving others and celebrating success. Junior players will teach younger kids at clinics when those are again allowed and volunteer at fall baseball programs. Players at all levels are recognized at an annual banquet.

“I thought it was a great opportunity for the kids at the grassroots at the community clubs to get together and be recognized at the same time as the kids at the high performance level,” said WSMBA president Wes Penner.

“This program isn’t just about getting kids to play baseball beyond the 18U level,” Scharer said.

“That’s the primary initiative but it’s also to give back to all the different age groups and improve the overall facilities at all of the diamonds.”

Most of the organizational work has occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been a challenge.

In 2020, when the pandemic was new, there were no events in what is normally a busy spring season, Penner said. Then, when they got the go-ahead to play ball, volunteers rushed into action, quickly organizing registrations, assignments and booking of fields and umpires. Add in the extra work of ensuring restrictions were followed and it was a Herculean task.

Penner said organizers took several steps to make the game as accessible as possible. There were no games on Saturdays and Sundays during July and August. If a team was a player or two short, they still got to play.

“We made some structural changes that made it appealing for parents to play during the summer,” Penner said. “I think people had fun.”

The same pandemic-mandated restrictions that were enacted for the 2020 season will b ein place this season.

“The home team uses its own baseballs, the away team uses its own baseballs,” Bell said. “We have hand sanitizer every time they come in… those rules are all still in place from last year.”

This year there is some frustration as there can only be one coach and four players on the field at a time during practices. That means teams may need three adjacent diamonds and three coaches to have a proper practice. There will also be only 25 spectators allowed at games, even though they can safely be spread out in different parts of the spectator area.

“We are hopeful there is another round of loosening those restrictions so we can increase that number,” Bell said.

“I know a lot of the frustration will fade once the kids are playing,” Penner added.