Amalgamated Kelowna/Rutland baseball associations a hit on opening day
With some help from the Toronto Blue Jays, about 700 boys and girls from five to 18 years old took part in Saturday’s opening-day festivities organized by the newly formed Central Okanagan Minor Baseball Association at Lombardy and Edith Gay parks.
After 53 years of officially being separate organizations, the Rutland and Kelowna minor baseball associations have come together for the 2016 season. Guy Posella, president of COMBA, said the amalgamation had been discussed for a long time, and he sees nothing but positives coming from the move.
"While conversations were ongoing, no one really wanted to take the bull by the horns to actually get it done,” said Posella. “But after talking to members in both associations, it seemed to me that most were in favour and that the timing was just right.”
The two associations held meetings together throughout the off-season and finally voted to amalgamate at the annual general meeting.
“Admittedly there has always been a keen rivalry between the associations and their teams over the years, but surprisingly, when we got together for townhall-type meetings there weren’t many concerns — just questions and how the process would work.”
Posella said the amalgamation will provide a stronger volunteer base and avoid duplication of duties, while narrowing the focus of the board members, thus benefitting the children involved in the sport.
On the field, the COMBA teams — now known as the Kelowna Sun Devils — in the peewee (13U), bantam (15U) and midget (18U) level — will include players from both the Kelowna and Rutland area, creating a larger pool from which to draw.
“In recent years the teams in the two associations have struggled somewhat at the provincial level, but now we should be more competitive with players from the two areas,” noted Posella.
The number of players (700) registered is up significantly from the combined total of the two associations last year, and Posella attributes some of that to the Toronto Blue Jays’ long run in the playoffs last fall.
Hoping to capitalize on the Blue Jays’ popularity, the association came up with the slogan: “The Journey To Becoming A Blue Jay Starts Here”.
“I think it really did attract the attention of the kids and parents,” said Posella. “The largest increase in registration was in the Rally Cap (7U) and Tadpole (9U) divisions. And while we’re ecstatic about the increase, our challenge now is to make sure the kids and parents have so much fun that they’ll want to continue playing right through to the midget level.
“Baseball a difficult game to learn, but that challenge attracts the kids. Once they have acquired the skills, it becomes a lifetime sport. Thousands of former minor baseball players are now playing slo-pitch up into their senior years.”
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