Several Alma ball teams had successful season this, year including two girls teams that repeated as champions.
First, the squirt girls team went undefeated in its regular season games and continued that winning streak through the year-end tournament to be crowned Intercounty squirt girls champions.
The team was composed of many of the same girls who won the Intercounty atom girls championship last year and was coached again by Amy Witzel and Cindy Bradley-MacMillan, with assistance from Vicki Denstedt.
The second championship came from the peewee girls team, which also had many returning players from last year. The team finished third in the regular season play but pulled out all the stops to play undefeated in the year-end tournament and win the Intercounty peewee girls championship.
That group has been successfully coached for the past few years by Suzy Anderson, Rob Woods and Kyle Anderson.
Although Alma’s other teams did not receive championship trophies, they did achieve their own level of success.
The T-ball team, coached by Jim Debock, was smaller than usual this year, which allowed focused, individual attention to the basics of baseball. The T-ballers challenged the Alma mixed mites team to an exciting two-inning year-end game. Their season was completed with the ritual wagon ride through Morley’s Meadows.
The mixed mites team had several wins throughout its regular season and performed in their gruelling year-end tournament, with many games played in one day. Sue Klassen coached this team, which would have not played without someone taking the reins.
The atom boys finished their season with five wins and seven losses in the regular season and were knocked out in the third game of their year-end tournament. Coaches Robert Held, Ron Watt, Dean Workman and Joel Duquette said the team had great fun and learned many skills throughout the season.
The squirt boys struggled throughout the season with a nine man team, borrowing pull-ups from a younger age group to assist in regular season and year-end tournament games. Alma Minor Ball appreciates Ken Van Milligen and his sons and Trish Kieswetter stepping into the coaching roles so those boys could play.
The peewee boys team, coached by Dale Taylor, were forced into a very competitive circuit in the WOAA, as Intercounty could not field a peewee boys’ division. The boys had two wins in regular season play and were in the midst of succumbing to a double elimination playoff series in their year-end tournament.
The midget girls finished fourth in regular season play and were knocked out early in the double elimination year-end tournament in Cambridge. Ken Campbell and Randy Denstedt did a great job coaching this team, considering at least half the girls were only bantam age and some players were new to ball.
Alma Minor Ball was proud to field eight teams for the 2009 season, from T-ball ball through to midget girls, providing skills, fair play, team work and cooperation for approximately 100 kids in Alma and the surrounding area.
Thanks to all the coaches for taking on this huge task and thanks to the Alma Minor Ball Executive for all its hardwork throughout the year in making Alma Minor Ball such a success.
Everyone’s achievements will be celebrated at the annual year-end barbecue at the Alma Community Hall on Sept. 11 at 6:30pm. Organizers hope to see everyone there and are reminding everyone to return clean uniforms to coaches before the barbecue.
Submitted by Holly Northfield
