Seven teams square off for softball
Players look ahead to tournaments as co-ed season begins
April Hudson
Northern News Services
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
KANGIQLINIQ/RANKIN INLET
Cold weather and rainy days haven't stopped co-ed softball enthusiasts in Rankin Inlet from stepping up to the plate as the 2017 season starts to heat up.
Kaelan Collier strikes the ball during a game between the Young Guns and Team Todd. - |
Seven teams have rounded out the league this year, facing off three to four evenings each week at the baseball diamond. The season began June 26 and is scheduled to run into August.
Chad Graham, vice-president for Rankin Inlet's co-ed softball league, said the local competition among Rankin Inlet teams this year is fierce.
"(They are) all very competitive teams. This is probably our most competitive season in a while," he said.
Teams this year include Team Todd, RIFD Master Batters, New Era, Juggernauts, Cubs, Young Guns and Avengers.
Bobby Akerolik, with Young Guns, said he's looking forward to a fun season of softball.
"It's a really good season. My team is improving to hit harder and further," he said.
"Some of the teams are hard to beat."
Although the day began with a rainy morning and turned into a cold evening, Akerolik joined his team on July 13 in a game against Team Todd. The Avengers and Cubs squared off that evening as well, followed by RIFD Master Batters and New Era.
The game was accompanied by plenty of laughter as teammates cheered each other on from the sidelines.
With three games per session, only six teams can play per evening. According to the season schedule, one team switches out for the next session so all seven teams have the same number of games over the course of the season.
The first game of the evening begins at 6 p.m., with the second starting at 7:15 p.m. and the third beginning at 8:30 p.m.
Kaelan Collier, who plays for Team Todd, said he's also anticipating a fun season.
"(My team's) strengths are we're always confident going into games," he said.
The teams have until mid-August to hone their skills, at which point teams will start heading to regional tournaments.
Graham said he hopes more tournaments will be scheduled in the Kivalliq region later in the summer, but for now the annual Calm Air Cup qualifier will be the highlight of the softball season. The tournament is scheduled to take place Aug. 19 and 20.
"The winning team from that gets to go to nationals next year," he said.
Rankin Inlet's co-ed league is also planning to send teams to a tournament in Churchill, MB, which is scheduled to run the first weekend of August.
The same weekend, Rankin Inlet will be sending a co-ed team as well as a men's softball team to nationals, which will be taking place in Winnipeg, MB.
