THEBACHA/FORT SMITH
Lori Kaeser is a big-time baseball fan and she has always hoped to pass that passion for the sport along to her three children.

Lori Kaeser of Fort Smith is passing along her knowledge of baseball and softball to a younger generation. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

However, that was a bit difficult because there was no organized baseball or softball for youth in Fort Smith.

"I used to try to get them to watch it on TV with me. It lasted an inning," said Kaeser with a laugh.

Then a couple of years ago, while she and her family were on holiday in Chicago, she gave her children a taste of baseball at the iconic home of the Chicago Cubs.

"I took them to Wrigley Field hoping that they would like it and they loved it," she said.

In the spring of last year, her children wanted to throw a ball around on a community softball field, and that very night neighbourhood children stopped by to ask if they could join in the fun.

"A couple of kids walked by and asked if they could come in and play, too," recalled Kaeser.

"So we said, 'Sure.'"

That was the beginning of what has grown into youth softball sessions - three times a week and free - that are designed for boys and girls in the general age range of 10 to 12 years.

Kaeser said that includes her own children - a 12-year-old son and nine-year-old twin girls.

The youth softball has been popular. In fact, 34 young people showed up one night last year, when there were two games a week.

This year, the games began in late April.

"I can usually get about 20 out for every practice," said Kaeser.

"Saturday is not so many because they're doing stuff with their families sometimes. But we've had 32 kids out one night."

She said she started out with intention of coaching slo-pitch, but ended up switching to fast-pitch softball instead at the behest of her pupils.

"But those boys just want to throw the ball real fast."

Parent umpires home plate

She coaches the games and practices, standing on the field watching the play as another parent umpires at home plate.

"I would like to do drills more, but they just want to play, and really the best way to learn is to just play," she said. "So while they're playing, I'll stop the play and I'll teach them."

Kaeser said the young people have different levels of knowledge of the game.

"Some of the kids that have shown up have never even held a bat before, but I think some kids have maybe thrown the ball around with their parents, like just basic beginner's knowledge," she said.

"But they all seem to be getting better. They really, really love it."

The 49-year-old's own love for baseball began when she was growing up in Alberta.

Her father used to coach softball and she and her older sisters played the game.

"I just love ball. I really do," Kaeser said.

"I've watched it since I was little. My dad had four girls, so we all played sports. My two older sisters made it to provincials in softball with my dad coaching them. He used to be an umpire for provincials."

She played slo-pitch softball when she moved to Fort Smith 25 years ago. However, she doesn't recall any softball league for young people in that time.

Kaeser believes part of the attraction of baseball and softball is they're thinking games and the players have to work together.

She is a fan of American League baseball, particularly the Boston Red Sox.

She and some friends went to Florida in 1994 to see spring training games of the Toronto Blue Jays but she says the only regular season big-league game she saw in person was the game she took her family to in Chicago last year.

Kaeser is hoping the youth softball she has started in Fort Smith will evolve to other age groups.

"I wouldn't mind maybe adding a couple of ages higher to our group because the 11 and 12-year olds really are quite good," she said.

"They just get better and better each week. It would be nice to see some older kids out."

Recently, other parents started T-ball for children aged five to eight years.

Kaeser said there have been some donations of equipment for the young players, including from a former community resident, the Town of Fort Smith and NWT Softball, which also sent along numbered jerseys it had received from British Columbia.

She said the youngsters really like the jerseys, explaining, "Now they feel more like teams because they have their red team and their blue team."

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