Baseball players in the St. Paul Special Olympics program met over the weekend for a tournament full of smiles, laughs, and plenty of good old-fashioned ball games.
The 28th Annual Conrad Jean Slo-pitch Tournament brought in 10 teams of athletes from across Alberta and Saskatchewan, Aug. 23 and 24. Teams were made up of players form Regina, Edmonton, Camrose, St. Albert, and of course, a number of athletes from St. Paul.
“With all the teams that registered, we ended up with a two-day tournament. It’s great. The weather’s beautiful, and the teams have all been playing great,” said Donna Goddard, a coordinator of the Special Olympics program in St. Paul.
She noted how cooperative all the teams were, moving around their games in the schedule to accommodate a team from Edmonton that joined the tournament as a late addition.
On Saturday, Goddard expressed high expectations for St. Paul’s teams saying, “We’ve had practice every Tuesday and Thursday evening, since the Tuesday after the May long weekend. They’re all set to play and do their best.”
Players on all teams were spirited and played with a passion that paralleled the big leagues. Many of the athletes exceeded their own expectations to the sound of cheering from both sides.
“It was good. Our batting was our strength in this game. My favourite part was the pitching – I struck out five people,” said Betty Dunham of St. Paul’s yellow division team, describing a game against St. Albert on Saturday.
Goddard gave a special thanks to all of the local sponsors and volunteers who helped bring the tournament together for another year, saying, “The St. Paul community supports our athletes every year.”
“They’re just getting out and having fun – that’s all they care about today,” said Anna Scheffelmiar, coach of St. Paul’s yellow division team, adding, “We all just came out for fun, and nobody’s really focusing on the score.”
Results from this year’s Conrad Jean slo-pitch tournament are:
First place – St. Albert
Second place – Regina
Third place – St. Paul
First place – Camrose
Second place – Regina
Third place – St. Albert
Sportsmanship, Individual – Cyndal Christensen (St. Paul)
Sportsmanship, Team – Edmonton
