Layritz 2004 Tournament Page

2004 Senior Softball Tournament Team

 The 2004 Senior Girls Tournament Team started practicing right after closing ceremonies. Coaches Mike Game, Ron Myers and myself selected 13 girls from 3 teams and had to get them to gel as one. The Canadians were a month away. We practiced every weekday morning from 9-11 a.m., pitchers pitched mornings and afternoons and everyone was asked to run everyday on their own time (which I’m sure they did).
   When the girls were not on the practice field we were busy fundraising. We had bottle drives, car washes, a bike raffle and sold tickets for a weekend getaway. We also held a dinner at the Knockenback Grill that was a great success. It was a lot of work but with the help of the players, their families and some generous donations from around the community we raised enough money to travel to the Canadians in Windsor Ontario.
   The team left for Windsor a few days early so everyone could get acclimatized to Ontario’s humid weather, but when we arrived it wasn’t that bad. It was actually hotter back home in Victoria than it was in Ontario. Everyone stayed at in the dormitories at St. Clair Collage, because the girls were not going to their billets for three days. So now we three Coaches and a team mom, had 13 girls to feed, watch over and entertain for the next few days. Needless to say not much sleep was had by the coaches on HALL DUTY.
   The Layritz girls were billeted by the host team, the Turtle Club. The billets were incredible. They held barbeques, took us shopping, sightseeing, bowling and were there if we needed anything. Some great friendships were formed even though we were to meet in the final game. 
   In the Tournament there were four teams; Calgary, South Windsor, Turtle Club and B.C. We had a fairly easy time defeating Calgary and South Windsor in the semi finals but lost the to the Turtle Club by a run. This meant that in the final game it would be Layritz against the Turtles. On game day the girls were ready. I had never seen them so focused, they were loud and the whole park went quiet when we took a 2-0 lead and held that until the fifth inning. Unfortunately luck was not with us that day but our girls never gave up. We went into the seventh inning with the score 3-2 for the Turtle Club, we had a runner on second with two out and the next batter hit a long fly ball.....and yes the centre fielder made an outstanding catch to end the game . Win or lose this was a great ball game to be part of, and these girls from Layritz did B.C. and our park proud. As a parent and coach I am so honored to have been part of this group of girls, most of whom I’ve known since they were in Mini Minors. I have watched them go from little girls to beautiful young ladies who can play ball and play ball well. The 2004 Layritz Senior Girls Tournament Team trip to the Canadians will be remembered by all of us as a great adventure.  Team Manager Rick Clough
The Girls : Katrina Barnett, Jenna Campbell, Stacy Clough, Laura Cook, Jennifer Date, Jessica Game, Alica Jones, Brittany Kolodziejak, Megan Law, Ashley Nelson, Jacqueline Squire, Carleigh Tapping, Brianne Umpleby  Coaches : Mike Game, Ron Myers 

2004, 11/12 Baseball Tournament Team 

Thirteen boys made the major tournament team in 2004 and the number proved to be anything but unlucky. This squad loved being on the diamond for practice or games. Many times we had 4 hour practices and at the end it was the always the coaches wanting to go home - not the players. Their hardwork, discipline, dedication and passion for the game of baseball paid off.This team went undefeated during the local district championship with a record of 8 and no. But more impressive still was the way they did it. In scoring 102 runs and only allowing 6 in those 8 games this team was more dominant locally than any I have been associated with these past 25 years.
   The Provincial’s in Vancouver were a wonderful experience for these young men. After an opening loss our boys reeled off 7 straight victories to finish first in the round robin and advance to the final after beating Dunbar in the semi. The final with Langley proved to be a real battle. We got an early jump on them but couldn’t push any more runs across in the next 5 innings. Slowly they pecked away at our lead and with ladyluck gradually moving in their direction the Langley team overtook us in the bottom of the sixth and moved on to the Canadian championship in Quebec.
   This Layritz team played some wonderful baseball. While in Vancouver they played 9 games in 9 days and there wasn’t a complaint anywhere. On and off the field they represented Victoria and Layritz well. This particular team was a group of pretty special individuals and I wasn’t surprized. All one had to do was observe their parents and see what a positive supporting group they were for not just their own children but other team members as well. On behalf of my coaches Bob Reine and Dave Murdoch I would like to congratulate the players on their achievement. To quote Riley McCormick " it was a great ride ". We also wish to thank Layritz and the team parents for allowing us the opportunity to work with your kids. It is a huge honour and one we don’t take lightly.
Mark Ward 

2004 Junior Softball Tournament Team 

The Junior girls were a talented hard working team. The girls practised hard all of July getting ready for the Canadian Championship which was hosted by Beacon hill Little League in early August. In the first game Layritz beat Beacon hill and in the second game Layritz beat Ontario. In the championship game Ontario beat Layritz 1 - 0 in a tough defensive game. This team represented our park very well! "Way to go team!"