Preparation is already well underway on and off the field for Richmond City Baseball’s 2018 season.
The association(RCBA) is getting a jump on its registration campaign with a month-long early bird ($25) discount starting on Dec. 1. RCBA has grown in numbers four straight years with over 550 players hitting the diamond last season. That is no easy feat in today’s climate of youth sports, especially in Richmond.
President John Braaten credits a good-working relationship with other city sports associations — rather than a tug of war for children.
“It’s building our community brand. We are all working together and trying to share the kids. We all get it,” explained Braaten. “We have had a good run and are hoping for another increase. The big thing is we are still getting the same amount new kids joining every year but we are also retaining them now.”
Last year, RCBA featured 72 players at the 13U level. Next season that number is projected to be around 100. The Bantam and Midget levels will also see increases.
The older talented kids no longer have to leave the city for higher levels of ball. The Chuckers have complimented their long-running Bantam AAA program with a team in B.C. Baseball’s College Prep League that enjoyed an outstanding inaugural season.
The Prep team is now in a position of moving full-speed ahead with the 2018 campaign rather than wait for potential cuts elsewhere. The roster will be finalized by mid-December and workouts will begin in January — leading up to a pre-season trip to Arizona.
On this chilly fall evening, Braaten is busy overseeing 13U winter training at the Blundell Park practice cage. It’s part of a detailed off-season program for all age levels that includes gym sessions run by RCBA director of player development David Van Ostrand. Attendance is hardly mandatory with in-season winter sports being the number one priority.
“We are busy here with about 120 kids involved in our off-season training,” Braaten continued. “But lots of them are into hockey, soccer, jujitsu. It’s whomever can come out. We know we are number three or four on their lists.”
But it’s these kind off additional programs that are helping RCBA keep players. Exciting in-season events and tournaments don’t hurt either.
The association will be hosting the U13 AA John Main Tournament for the second straight year in May at the Palmer/Garden City Diamonds. The same venue will also be home to the 13U A Provincial Championships next August.
Players around the province will also be at Latrace Field for a pair of Toronto Blue Jays affiliated events — the Roberto Alomar B.C. T12 player evaluations and a two-day Super Camp. Both will take place in late July.
For more information on the RCBA programs and for 2018 registration, visit RichmondCityBaseball.ca
