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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2007-07-18, Page 9The Huron Expositor • July 18, 2007 Page 9 Sport of baseball is returning to Vanastra Diamond facelift by slop -pitch team spurs formation of new t-baII program Susan Hundertmark MEM .After close to seven years of silence, Vanastra resi- dents are again hearing the crack of the bat and cheers of encouragement at the ball diamond. A t -ball program for kids aged three to eight was set up this year - with hopes of reintroducing minor base- ball in ,Vanastra - after an adult co-ed slofpit-ch team spruced up the diamond for a spring tournament in May. Looking for a location for its annual spring slo-pitch tournament, the Huron East team Poles and Holes decid- ed to hold the tournament there. "We usually take turns at different venues - we've played at Seaforth, Varna and Holmesville - and a cou- ple of our players are from Vanastra," says Poles and Holes player/coach Cindy Windsor. "The diamond had not been used for so long it needed a little TLC but we thought it was a terrible shame it was sitting there and not being used," she says. With supplies of lumber and paint from the munici- pality, the team volunteered its labour to repair the bleachers, erect new foul poles and paint them pink, the team's colour. As well, they dug and raked to fix up the outfield and the infield until it was in usable condition for a tournament in May. "It's the perfect place for a tournament because the rec centre is right there if it gets cold," says Poles and Holes player Mark Stone, who lives in Vanastra. Stone has taken on the responsibility of maintain- ing the diamond this sum- mer by keeping the weeds under control and raking it once a week. "People gather at the dia- Above, Jake Phelan, 3, takes aim at the ball while below, coach Steve Lostell explains how to open up the glove during catching practice. l • mond if it's being used. A lot of people walk around Vanastra at night and they like to watch ball," he says, adding that he and a few friends are also using the diamond as a place to prac- tise. Steve Lostell, also a Poles and Holes player, decided to offer t -ball to the local kids after the diamond was fixed up. "I thought if someone doesn't use it, it will just go back to the way it was. We had to start somewhere and I have two kids of t -ball age myself," he says. Lostell grew up playing ball in Vanastra and wanted to see Vanastra kids get a chance to develop some baseball skills themselves. "This will give them a start and see if they enjoy it. I like to see the children out there getting some exer- cise," he says. Up to 17 kids have shown up but on average a dozen come to t -ball every Thursday at 5 p.m. to learn how to throw, catch and hit Susan Hundertmark photos Corrinn Lostell, 6, concentrates on catching the ball during a t -ball session last Thursday. the ball and run the bases. "Soccer's been big for a few years but ball's making a comeback," he says, adding he's hoping there are enough interested kids and parents to be able td begin at least one minor baseball team next year. Lostell says he's glad to see adults using the dia- mond as well. "It's been sitting there a long time - I'm surprised they didn't tear it down before," he says. Lostell adds there's talk of beginning a Vanastra slo- pitch league. "It could be a couples' thing where we could have fun once a week," he says. "With the playground right beside it, it's the perfect location I don't think we realized how good we had it as kids." Vanastra Recreation Centre manager Lissa Berard says she's excited to see the ball diamond being used again and hopes to see a pre -mite team added next year with another team added each year. "Hopefully, that gets us back in the game," says Berard. "We didn't bother fixing the diamond before because no one used it but the slo- pitch team did a great job and made it look fantastic. They put in a lot of volun- teer hours," she says.