For most small towns, a rail crew in town and a wedding being hosted would add to the traffic and activity in the community on any given weekend. However, add in 36 softball teams and their families and Unity experienced a population explosion the weekend of June 16, 17 and 18.
Without a doubt, Unity has garnered a reputation for hosting big ticket events in their community. The ball diamonds area is just one of the venues lauded by many, with numerous provincial and Western Canadian championship events having been hosted there.
In 2016, Unity successfully bid to become host community for the Girls Prairie Softball League Pink Sox Weekend. Organizers and volunteers did not disappoint and participants and GPLS executive had no second guesses when awarding Unity playoff weekend for this expanding girls’ softball league.
Founded in the fall of 2010, Girls Prairie League Softball is entering its seventh season of play in 2017. At the core of its mission, GPLS seeks to grow the game of softball and provide the highest level of competition for its member teams.
The league hosts multi-weekend league events with alternating hosts across Alberta and Saskatchewan, enabling teams to play more games in a weekend in a competitive setting. The results thus far have spoken for themselves and the GPLS membership has increased as well as teams dominating the podium at respective provincial championships they attend.
From starting with 21 teams in the first season, GPLS has grown to include over 70 teams from all corners of Alberta and Saskatchewan. With continuing growth and success, GPLS will continue efforts to grow the game and raise the standard of excellence for softball on the prairies. Through partnership and cooperation with groups such as the WCSA, ASUA, and others, GPLS will continue to drive the development of competitive softball on the prairies and in Canada.
Unity’s host committee knew the task that lay ahead of the June 16 playoff weekend from their experiences of what worked and what didn’t work from the 2016 event. The 2016 committee was lauded in several media sources when rains forced them into quick alternative action to come up with Plan Bs to enable all schedules games to be played.
The week leading up to the event, the diamonds had been a continuous action movie as volunteers had been performing general maintenance and fine tuning in preparation for the 36 teams in four divisions that would be arriving.
Residents certainly heard of the event but may not have had any idea of the magnitude of traffic 36 girls softball teams would bring to town as an endless stream of trailers and traffic poured into town beginning the evening of June 15. Trailers filled up the regional park campgrounds by the golf course, tripled the population of the Brentwood trailer court as well as densely inhabited the Agriplex grounds.
Organizers were also faced with the challenge of trying to manage excess water in the park, pathways and walkways leading to the Cardinals diamond where some of the action and one of the gates would be set up, which in typical Unity hosting style, was done with collaborative efforts and resourceful methods.
The organizing committee also had to ensure that all five diamonds in this venue were softball ready, meaning that the Kinsmen, Credit Union and Cardinals diamonds had to be temporarily revamped to accommodate softball; which included temporary fencing as well.
Organizers also wanted to ensure that the event included conveniences for participants and guests so the big tent was set up for shelter, shade and gathering space. Two people movers were utilized to assist movement to the farther diamonds. Portable bathrooms were also set up around the venue. And, with the booth cooking up palate-pleasing food all weekend, teams and fans had everything they may have needed at the diamonds.
Games had to start early Friday in order to accommodate all 36 teams on a double knockout weekend.
The venue was alive with enthusiastic ball fans as well as grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends coming to visit former Unity residents whose kids were playing on one of the teams, making for plenty of reuniting with acquaintances as well as making new ones while cheering on their favorite teams and players.
Community sponsors and volunteers are one of the reasons big events work in Unity, says one of Unity’s GPLS committee members.
“Having the Lions’ experience and volunteer work at the gates is a huge task off of the organizing committee ‘to do’ list. As well, there are guys whose kids used to be in minor ball and those parents whose kids are currently in minor ball that just come to pitch in wherever and whenever it is needed,” said one of the committee members.
And, games are made more exciting when there are fans in the stands so the local support at the diamonds is a much-appreciated asset by both competing teams and organizers.
Friday threatened rain several times but the “snowing” poplar fuzz was more of a weather event than the rain was. However, over night and into Saturday gloomy skies and some rain became part of the picture; but in ball tournaments, the show must go on! Continued efforts by grounds crew kept the event running as smoothly as possible and fans had plenty of places to take shelter, if needed.
Saturday’s overcast skies and early showers gave way to sunny, blue skies making for perfect ball weather for both players and fans. Home teams gave the fans plenty to cheer about in their games ensuring there would again be big crowds on Sunday back at the diamonds. Sunday, the sun reigned once again providing another perfect ball day for teams and fans.
Plenty of positives and compliments came out of the weekend evidencing once again the strength of Unity’s desire to host top notch events in the community. But as one committee member pointed out, “This doesn’t happen without collaborative efforts from many, and without community support.”
