The Houston U12 minor league baseball team is gearing up for the provincial games this summer. They will have until July 12 to hone their skills and get their team dynamic going for the big competition. The 11-person team consists of 10 boys and one girl, who were selected from 20 individuals during tryouts earlier this year. Three of the younger members from last year returned to the U12 team while the rest moved up to the U14 division.
Last year the Houston U12 team took home second place in the provincial A division. The tournament was hosted in Williams Lake on July 9, while this upcoming tournament is to be hosted in Terrace.
They gather to practice every Sunday and Monday, testing their skills, tactics and having as much fun as possible while they are at it. The team aspect of the sport helps keep them out of trouble, get some exercise and teach valuable life skills like grit and teamwork.
The team is lead by their coaches Ron Flynn and Alanzo Slaney, but they also pointed out the incredible work being done by their team president Kelly Rennie, for organizing and doing the behind the scenes work that makes it all possible. Ron also stressed how hard the kids themselves are working at preparing for the tournament.
“We just went to Smithers last weekend with our rec team” said Flynn, “The kids played their hearts out there, they come home and then practice Sunday and Monday, and then play Tuesday and Thursday in their rec league teams too. These boys and girl are playing four days a week, so they are putting in the extra work for sure”.
Despite playing in both recreational baseball and training at the provincial level, these kids are willing to put in the work to represent Houston and shoot for gold in the upcoming tournament.
Together with all the organizers and coaches, parents and teammates, the U12 Houston baseball team is set to impress, and have a fun time while they are at it.
