Kerrisdale Little League opened its 55th season Saturday, three months before the community club hosts the best in B.C. for the Little League Championships.
Six hundred young athletes marked opening day by marching in the annual Kerrisdale Village Carnival Day parade down 41st Avenue to the baseball diamonds at Elm Park.
The atmosphere was fantastic, said past president Jenny Pearson. We are lucky that were in the middle of a great community. The kids set the tone of the day and, for them, its the best of the year. Its the day kids wait for 12 months when they can parade in their uniform and feel proud.
Players aged four to 12 paraded in step with 58 teams, each carrying the name of their sponsors on a placard, like nations entering the Opening Ceremony to commence the Olympics. Merchants and businesses in the immediate community commit to sponsoring teams, said past president Jenny Pearson.
Most of the sponsors you see on kids uniforms are [from businesses] up and down 41st Avenue, she said. The businesses with the longest-standing commitments include Kerrisdale Lumber and Hills while businesses to recently support teams include The Secret Tea Garden and Provident Security.
For the first time in club history, Kerrisdale Little League was asked to host the 2013 B.C. Little League Championships. From July 20 to 28 at Elm Park, Kerrisdale Little League will host eight teams from each of the provinces regional districts who will compete for the chance to represent B.C. at the Canadian Little League Championships set for August in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia.
Its an honour, said Pearson, who anticipates daily crowds numbering up to 500 people.
A large part will be from our community, she said, noting games will be well attended by the families of visiting players and spectators from across Vancouver and the suburbs. Three games in one day on a gorgeous, sunny summer day I think people will come down to the park to watch baseball.
Kerrisdales all-star team will earn an automatic berth to the tournament while the other Little Leagues in District 1, including Dunbar, Jericho and past B.C. champions from Little Mountain, will each compete for a second berth.
The 2012 hosts in Trail, B.C., described an extremely positive tournament and experienced a net benefit to the community, said Pearson. She said Kerrisdale will recreate a similar vibe.
Were really going to tie it into our community and get everyone involved so it feels like a small town in a big city, she said. We want the 120 kids playing in this tournament to never forget it and give them a really great Little League experience.
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