INUVIK - Young baseball players are getting a workout and learning new skills at the Ruyant Crescent Field.

Each week, three groups of young baseball players gather in the growing grass of Ruyant Field to learn more about the town's summer pastime of choice.

Mini-ball player Paris Wainman was one of the many participants practising her skills on Monday night. The baseball group has been meeting every June for the past few years. - Dez Loreen/NNSL photo

Coach Nick Saturnino said the program is aimed at giving children the skills needed to play baseball.

He said some of the participants have been involved for years, building their abilities and playing with local teams.

Because of the baseball diamond hiatus, Saturnino and the group find themselves looking for space to practise.

"We're using this field right now, which works for this age group," said Saturnino of the group of 35 five- to seven-year-olds.

There are close to 40 kids in the eight to 10 category and the oldest division, 11 to 16, has nearly 50 participants.

The program started five years ago, with 15 parents and adults volunteering their time to supervise and hold drills.

"We work on a number of things here," said Saturnino.

"We do running drills, throwing games, but we try to keep the drills shorter than 10 minutes."

The program runs during the month of June, with the group meeting 10 times this month.

Saturnino is confident in the program's success, due to the number of registered youth.

"I'd say about 80 per cent of the participants come regularly," he said.

The coach added that there are some dedicated kids that have been involved since the start of the program.

"Some of these faces I've seen out here for the five years we've been doing this," he said.

"It's really good for the kids and a good way to learn some new skills."