Bats were cracking, line drives were flying and good times were had by all at the wrap-up weekend tournament for the Squamish Slo Pitch Association (SSPA) this past weekend (July 16 to 18) at Brennan Park and Hendricksons baseball diamonds.
"This is our last go, our last chance to really give 'er this weekend," said Hublocker coach Stephen Fryer at 8 a.m. Saturday morning when the games started. "The divisions for next year are already in so this is all about bragging rights."
When asked how important bragging rights were to slo pitch players, SSPA president Dave Southam said they were "top notch."
"In slo pitch bragging rights are what it's all about," he said.
Thirty-three teams, 11 per division, battled it out all weekend long for the prestigious bragging rights. The Predators beat the Hammers for first place with the Garibaldi Tires Irons in third place. The Rock Bar and Grill Wild Ones dominated division B, the Sure Shots came in second and the Hooligans in third.
Cliffside won division C in the final against the Mountain View Mowers with the Brew Jays taking third place.
The year-end tournament is more a celebration than a competition, but all three divisions showed up ready for some action and some beer.
Festivities kicked off on Friday night with the MVP game, where each team selected their most valuable player to defend their honour. All the MVPs lined up and were split right down the middle.
"It was a pretty good game and a chance to play with some new people," said Hublocker MVP Tylor Anderson. "I wouldn't venture so far as to say the calibre was a ton better, but that may have been due to the celebratory nature of the event."
Participants won numerous prizes like clothing, hats and free tickets for the on-site beer garden.
Anderson just finished his second season with the Hublockers and said he loves playing ball come springtime.
"It's great. You get to be outside, meet some friends, play some ball and drink some beers and just have fun," he said. "It's a great way to start off the summer."
The sunny weather had everyone in high spirits, even at 7:30 a.m. Saturday morning when the regular games got underway.
The wind picked up substantially Saturday afternoon, throwing some curve balls, literally, and making for some wild pitches and throws. The teams battled on unfazed and happy to have sunshine on their backs and beers in hand.
"Three up, three downfive up, five in!" cheered teams from every division and every corner of the field. Fans young and old showed up to cheer on their families, friends and neighbours.
Friendly competition was the name of the game, with teams congratulating each other for great plays and a season well done in general.
With great turn outs at the April ice breaker and May long weekend tournaments, Southam said he's pleased with the number of teams participating but he'd like to see even more teams join the ranks in the coming season.
"There's been lots of jostling inside the division so some pretty good play. But I'd love to see the numbers get back up to 40 teams next year."
In an effort to increase membership, Southam is considering making a youth division in 2011 for high school aged slo pitch players to hone their skills.
Team standings, tournament results and information on the association and its upcoming tournaments can be found at www.squamish-slopitch.com.
