DEH GAH GOT'IE KOE/FORT PROVIDENCE
With slopitch baseball turnout low in Fort Providence, Andre Bolduc, the recreation centre coordinator, is looking to start a slopitch tournament to help get numbers back up.

Andre Bolduc, recreation coordinator in Fort Providence, plays in the slopitch baseball tournament in Fort Simpson earlier this July. - photo courtesy of Andre Bolduc

"We started in early June," said Bolduc. "Turnouts were really good because we were going to a tournament in Fort Simpson. Ever since then turnout has been low."

As of now there typically aren't enough participants to play a game, with only about four or eight people showing up. Bolduc said he's hoping the tournament will inject some love back into the game.

"That's enough to basically hit some balls into the outfield," Bolduc said.

According to Bolduc, in Fort Providence there's always an uncertainty factor.

"It's really dependant on the weather," he said. "You really don't know when people are going to show up."

Participation often drops in Fort Providence after a tournament, however, he said, so the decline in numbers is not unusual.

While the games are geared towards adults, Bolduc said there are a few youths that participate. The lack of youths might also be part of the reason attendance is low.

"A lot of youths are out of town for the summer," he said. "When we had it in June a lot of the high school kids, 14, 15 and 16 year olds would come out to play."

Slopitch is one of Bolduc's favourite sports to participate in. He played baseball as a kid and got into slopitch later in life.

The major difference between slopitch and regular baseball is that in slopitch, the throws are underhand, making them easier to hit and allowing more people to get in on the fun.

"It's one of the sports I look most forward to putting on in town," he said.

The tournament is planned for Aug. 19 until Aug. 21 and Bolduc's hoping to get between four to six teams for it.

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