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With the weather outside getting better, there's a sense of baseball in the air and for Kelcie Neufeld, Vice-President of Vita Minor Baseball, the excitement of a new season is building.
Over the years that she's been involved, Neufeld says it's been pretty amazing to see the continued support and growth of the ball programs in the area. "It has actually grown tremendously over the past five years that I've been involved," she says proudly. "When I started, we maybe had 10 kids in total. Last year, we hit a record of 40 and this year, we're around the 20-25 mark. It's growing and we want to keep it growing, as well as keep kids in the community."
Neufeld says they have hopes for more programs going forward, but a key is keeping young kids involved in the game. "Right now, our oldest age is the U11 group, but as we're planning for the future, we're always thinking about how we can keep them in our community. We want them to stay in that U13, U15 age range and eventually, maybe one day have the U18 program back. Back in the day, it was a huge popular sport in Vita and it would be fantastic to get back to that with those older teams. We're always thinking about growth and how we can do the best for the community."
Having the support from the people means the world to Neufeld and she says they wouldn't be where they are without the community. "It's absolutely fantastic. A lot of our parents have kids in multiple age groups, so they can't really commit to helping run the club or coaching, but they're always there at games or practices, helping where they can. They'll stand at first or third base, helping keep the batting order going, they are there to help. This year, we have a lot of fresh, new faces that are here to help and offering ideas on where we can go. The parents are so fantastic with helping keep us on the right track."
As there is every year, there are some areas where Neufeld says they could use a boost. "I guess our biggest need is having more volunteers. We're having our U11 team back this year and we're in need of umpires. If there is anyone who has done their umpiring courses and are interested in umpiring games, we're in a big need. We want people to know Vita baseball is still here. If there are kids aged four to that 13 mark, we have teams and we want them to come out, play, grow and find that love for baseball."
With that open door for kids, Neufeld is quick to point out that it doesn't matter if kids have ever played before, they'll make sure to teach. "It just so happens that quite a few of our U11 players are first-year players, they've never done it before. They have so much fun because they learn so much in a short period of time. They want to come back the next year and do it all again. All skill levels are welcome, we work hard with everyone to teach those skills and it's a lot of fun, we have a really great time all together on the diamond."
Looking back over the last few years, Neufeld admits there's really nothing better than seeing a kid get their very first hit. "Honestly, seeing that sense of accomplishment in a kid, there's really nothing like it. I've seen quite a few go 'oh my gosh, I hit the ball' moments, they're grinning from ear to ear, they run as fast as they can, they stand at first base and do a little dance, it's truly special. As a coach and a parent, it's really special to watch your kid or any kid celebrate those magical moments."
To get more information, Neufeld says it is rather easy. "We have a Facebook page, Vita Baseball. We also respond quickly through email, VitaMinorBall@gmail.com, anyone can email there. The best way is our Facebook page, we're pretty active there. We try and keep everything up to date with what's going on throughout the season."