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INUVIK
Over the August long weekend, eight teams will do battle on the ball diamond for bragging rights and cash prizes at the Midnight Sun slo-pitch tournament.

Kyle Sherwin of Northwind rounds third base during the Midnight Sun slo-pitch tournament, in 2007. - NNSL file photo

Seven teams from Inuvik and one team from Tuktoyaktuk will compete from July 29 to Aug. 1 for the annual co-ed tournament.

"Any team is capable of winning the tournament. I'm doing the schedule and there are no weak teams," said Trevor Smith, the schedule co-ordinator for the tournament and statistician for the Inuvik Slo-Pitch Association. "Tuk always sends a really strong team, so we don't know what to expect. Northwind is leading the (slo-pitch) league; the Rocky's have lost one game and the Native Yankees have only lost two."

There will be two divisions of four teams who will play in a round robin format. Every team is promised four games in the tournament, but teams only need to have one bad game in the playoffs and it's over, so the intense competition will start with the playoffs, Sunday at 5 p.m.

Only one team – Esso Half-Tanked – has been formed for the tournament, with the rest of the teams having played during the regular summer league. Tanya Gruben, registration co-ordinator for the tournament and vice-president of the slo-pitch association, said she thinks teams that have played together for a while will have a better chance at winning.

"The Huskies are a strong team and have been practising a lot for fast pitch, but the Rocky's have been together for 10 or 15 years," Gruben said. "It will be really good competition."

Spectators are more than welcome to come out and watch the games, which start Friday evening and will end with the championship game on Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. A beer garden and barbecue will run during the entire tournament and games will go until 1 a.m.

Fewer teams have signed up for the tournament this year, which Gruben suspects is because the Midway Music Festival is happening at the same time in Fort McPherson.

Fewer teams however, mean more games for all the teams. Last year's winners were Lakes and Rivers, who aren't playing this year.

The top three teams will recieve a cash prize of $1,600 for first, $800 for second and $400 for third.

Final regular league play for the Inuvik Slo Pitch Association will finish on Aug. 17, with the playoffs happening over the weekend of Aug. 19 to 21, in a tournament style.

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