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Friday, 13 August 2010 16:24 |
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by Craig Brown The Coronation Royals Bantam Boys baseball team have completed the ball season and their provincial run. The boys went through league play undefeated then started provincials in late May. The first two rounds saw the boys in Eckville and Strathmore. They went 7 - 0 defeating Drayton Valley, Leduc, Rocky Mountain House, Strathmore and Sherwood Park twice each. After this the boys were moved from Tier 3 - 4 into Tier 2. Coronation played Okotoks, Grande Prairie, Taber and Fort McMurray. They defeated Okotoks their first game then lost to the boys from Grande Prairie. They played a great game against the number 1 seed team from Taber losing by two. The next weekend we came out flat (something you can’t do at this level of ball) and lost to both Okotoks and Fort McMurray. Then the boys pulled it together and had another great game against the still undefeated Taber team, losing a close one 8 - 5. Unfortunately these losses sent us back to Tier 3 for the final weekend. So it was off to Slave Lake with the boys feeling good about their chances, as Drayton Valley was number 1 seed in Tier 3. The boys practiced hard and got the ship righted for the final weekend. They came out swinging in the first game against South Jasper Place with Morgan Beier, Cole Elliott and Trey Zimmer all hitting home runs. Trey Zimmer, Colton Kitt and Eric Rodvang all threw to Daniel Brown in a 17 - 10 win. The next game saw Blake Robley and Daniel Brown going to the hill with Cory Twa behind the plate. The Coronation home run derby continued with Trey Zimmer and Cole Elliott getting their second home runs of the tournament and Daniel Brown hitting his first one out. The defence was solid and the boys won 18 - 8 against Slave Lake sending them to the semi final game. The semi final was a pitching dual. Coronation sent their version of Kurt Shilling in the form of Trey Zimmer to the hill and Daniel Brown behind the dish. Lacombe sent their version of the Big Unit. A 6 foot 1, 200 plus pound behemoth who was throwing heat. Zimmer threw a classic two hitter with one walk, 10 strikeouts, 85 pitch complete game allowing only two runs. The defence played great behind him. The Lacombe ace threw an unbelievable one hitter with no walks, 16 strikeouts, and no runs. This game was the best pitching dual I have ever had the pleasure to be involved with, and I tip my hat to both these young men. The boys saved their best game of a great season for the last. Losing 2 - 0 in the semi final hurt at the time, but it was a great game, win or lose, to end the season on. Players The team consists of Morgan Beier from Altario playing third base, mid relief, and outfield; Brendan Fawcett from Consort playing middle infield and outfield; Colton Kitt from Veteran serving as a pitcher and outfielder; Blake Robley from Metiskow playing Middle infield, pitching and catching; Braiden McLean and Brandon Symons from Brownfield both played outfield; and Daniel Brown, also from Brownfield, was the catcher and played middle infield. Boys from Coronation on the team were Cory Twa played third base and pitched; Cole Elliott was an infielder; Mike Rush played third base and outfield; Eric Rodvang, the only lefty on the team, pitched, played first base and outfield; and Trey Zimmer played middle infield and pitched. Coaches were myself, Craig Brown, John Rush, Greg Kitt and Andrew Rodvang. See you all next year.
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Former Coronation resident curls with Australian team |
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Friday, 30 July 2010 19:15 |
 Jay Merchant has been recruited by the National Australian Curling team as well as the National Curling Association. The team itself is based out of Sydney and they asked Merchant to meet in Sydney last weekend, when the offer was extended. Merchant will have the support of the New South Wales Curling Association, the National Association, as well as the Australian Olympic Committee. The Australian team/associations are particularly interested in Merchant’s achievements at the local, provincial, national, and International levels. The Australian team has had a lot of success with curling internationally and frequently curls in the World Championships each year. They have been in the running for the Olympics every four years, however, missed curling in the Vancouver Winter Olympics by under 0.5 of a percentage point. “The team is a bit deflated after missing the Winter Olympics,” said Steve Johns (Australian Second), “and needs a new kind of Energy on the team and Merchant certainly has energy!” Merchant also has the support of the Canadian Curling Associations as well as the World Curling Tour. Although Merchant has the support of the different federations in Australia, he is currently waiting on the support of the Australian Government and is working closely with his migration lawyer to achieve this end. “The sport over here needs to be developed more,” said Merchant. “There is no actual curling rink, there is virtually no funding, and the number of talented curlers is on decline.” Most of Australia’s competitive curling is being played in New Zealand and abroad. The team issued a High Performance Recruitment Drive last year, however the cost was a concern to most people. With funding levels low, the basic cost per player is roughly $15,000 - $20,000. It’s been stated that if and when the Australians make the Olympics, the funding will come. “This really is our goal,” said Merchant, “to make the Olympics”. The drive for success and the passion of the game is still there regardless of the conditions…this is seen yearly when Australia is represented on the World Stage. “We are excited at the prospects of having Jay [Merchant] join the Australian Team,” stated Ian Palangio (Australian Third). “We obviously want to make the winter Olympics and I feel strongly he can help us in that adventure.” Some people have mixed feelings regarding a Canadian moving to Australia for curling at this level. Merchant has two takes on it. |
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