Tavistock Schedule in PDFTavistock Poster in PDF The village of Tavistock is quickly catching fastball fever as the impending Tavistock Mens Fastball Tournament is now just a couple short weeks away. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Larry Lynch and his hard working Kitchener Fastball Promotions staff for an outstanding 2010 Legends Tournament. The weather held out, crowds were great, and the competition on the field was excellent. We look forward to the 2011 version of the Legends of Fastball Classic. Also a special congratulations to the family of Bob "Bongo" Baird and also to George Ryder and his family for their 2010 inductions as Legends of the game of fastball. These two gentlemen have been fixtures in the game for many years. George is still actively involved and I expect will be for years to come. Tragically, "Bongo" left all of us far too soon, but his spirit was with us in Kitchener this past weekend and his contributions to the game will never be forgotten.
Not wanting to upstage my good friend Larry Lynch, I have held off on our Tavistock announcements until the Legends event was complete. Now that the 2010 Legends event is a great fastball memory, its time to move on down the road 20 minutes west to TAVISTOCK, ONTARIO.
Presently the field is set and we are thrilled to have the Kitchener Rivershark Twins, Jarvis Travelers, Midland, Mich. Explorers, Owen Sound Selects, St Thomas Union Storm and the Elmira Expos gearing up for a big weekend in our small village. Kitchener and Jarvis are currently mere percentage points apart in the World Rankings and proved at Legends that these two teams will be formidable foes throughout the season. A short staffed Midland team had a bit of an off weekend at Legends and are expected to come back with a vengeance in Tavistock. There is a reason why Midland is the host team for this year's ISC World Tournament and currently ranked #6 in the World. Expect the Explorers to be tough in Tavi. Owen Sound comes in with a great young team that can beat anyone on a given day. Currently ranked 15th in the World, the future is bright for this squad as they are not intimidated going toe to toe with any club team on the planet. St Thomas (#34) has consistently been a force in Ontario and International fastball events. This year's team is playing a lighter schedule throughout the season but nobody can be fooled by that. Tom Edie has a wealth of veteran leaders and fastball stars at his disposal, so expect the St Thomas boys to compete with everyone they meet in Tavistock. The Elmira Expos (#19) may be one of the true underrated teams around. Young, but extremely talented, the Expos are coming off a solid showing at Legends including an extra innings loss to the Rivershark Twins and a Sunday morning victory over the Midland Explorers. Confidence is building with this young squad and I'm sure they will be looking to upset the big boys again come July 16-18.
While the teams themselves are the major component of any fastball tournament, the goal for any event hosted in Tavistock in the past has been to encourage community involvement, provide a festive atmosphere and create a place where everyone wants to be on a given weekend. This year's event will be no different. The Tavistock Athletics Bantam Boys Team will be on the grill for the entire weekend firing up your burgers, sausage and DELICIOUS breakfast sandwiches. The Bantam Boys are currently fundraising for their upcoming trip to Sudbury and the Ontario Summer Games. This event will be a big fundraiser for this group so make sure you stop by their booth for a bite!!! Our Tavistock Athletics Junior Mens team will be at your disposal the entire weekend slinging ice cold beverages of the amber variety in our fully licenced beverage tent. Our junior team is in its second consecutive year of operations and working hard to fund raise for future events. Make sure you all stop in for a "Cold" drink and some socializing in the tent!!
Speaking of the beer tent, nothing creates atmosphere like a little music. On Friday night (July 16th) we are PLEASED to announce that former 16 year veteran of the Kitchener Hallman Twins Brian "Chubbs" Stere and renowned local musician Cory Gerber will be plugging in for some acoustic entertainment to keep you at the yard and enjoying your evening. If you have never had the pleasure of listening to these two gentlemen sing and pluck the guitars, then Friday night is a must see for you in Tavistock. Music in the tent Saturday and Sunday as well.
In fastball presently, it should be the goal of every individual to do what they can to keep the game alive and our youth on the field. With this in mind, Tavistock is proud to announce that at 4:00pm on Saturday afternoon, we will host the North Waterloo League Bantam Boys All Star game on the Main Diamond at the Queens Park. We expect this will be a highlight for these boys to be involved in a Major Mens event and we encourage all of the teams and fans to be there to support these young fastball fanatics. Let's give them a reason to stay in the game. Kitchener and Jarvis will clash immediately following the Bantam All Star game on the main diamond followed by the Midland Explorers and the upstart Elmira Expos to round out the evening. Saturday should be exciting!!
In the spirit of team work, the majority of our Tavistock Minor Ball teams and their parents will be working the gates and 50/50 draws throughout the weekend. Dennis Dosman and his professional crew of scorekeepers, game controllers and announcers have agreed to spend the weekend behind the screen keeping you updated throughout all of the games. Timmy Whitelaw has his "
Blue Crew" in place.
BallparkRadio.com is planning on broadcasting playoff games on Sunday and I still hope to work Kyle and Blair over to get them their for the Kitchener vs Jarvis tilt Saturday and wouldn't it be GREAT if BallparkRadio.com would consider broadcasting the Bantam Boys All Star game Saturday at 4:00pm?? JIm, Blair, Kyle, I know you are out there. What do you think about giving these Bantam Boys a thrill of a lifetime and broadcasting their match for the entire fastball world to hear?? I know you guys are busy but it would be fantastic!! Just say'n.
As you can see, the stage is set and the preparations have been made for a tremendous event. Everyone cross their fingers for sunshine and great weather. We are blessed to have two terrific facilities that can accommodate the schedule should we run into any minor weather issues. The majority of the games will be played at the Queens Park (adjacent the Tavistock Arena) address 1 ADAM STREET Tavistock, ON. We will also be playing 1 game Friday, 1 game Saturday and 2 games Sunday at our Optimist Park located on the southwest side of Tavistock on HWY #59. The two parks are a less than a two minute drive apart and we look forward to showcasing our complexes to the fastball community.
I suppose that a "few" people out there might also be curious as to the schedule of games for the weekend. Well here is where we are at with our games schedule:
GREEN DIVISION
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Kitchener
Owen Sound
St Thomas
WHITE DIVISION
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Jarvis
Midland
Elmira
FRIDAY JULY 16th
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7:00pm Kitchener vs St Thomas QUEENS PARK
8:00pm Jarvis vs Elmira Optimist Park
9:00pm Midland vs Owen Sound QUEENS PARK
SATURDAY JULY 17
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10:00am St Thomas vs Owen Sound QUEENS PARK
12:00 noon Jarvis vs Midland QUEENS PARK
2:00pm Kitchener vs Owen Sound QUEENS PARK
2:00pm Elmira vs St Thomas Optimist Park
4:00pm North Waterloo Bantam Boys All Star Game - QUEENS PARK
6:00pm Kitchener vs Jarvis QUEENS PARK
8:00pm Midland vs Elmira QUEENS PARK
SUNDAY JULY 18
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10:00am G2 vs W3
10:00am W2 vs G3
12:00 noon G1 vs Winner of W2 / G3
12:00 noon W1 vs Winner of G2 / W3
2:00pm FINALS QUEENS PARK
The 10:00am quarter-final games and the 12:00 noon semi-final games will see one game at each park.
I have also recently had inquiries about camping at the park for the tournament weekend. Trailers and RV's will be allowed on site for the weekend.. Upon arriving at the gate, you will be escorted to a location in the park for the weekend to ensure that each unit is parked in a strategic location to avoid damage to the park's grass, trees and structures. Areas of the park outside the diamond can become quite wet pending weather conditions so your cooperation in this regard is appreciated. Campfires ARE NOT allowed at this facility. There will be access to 15amp power sources throughout the park and the public washrooms will be open for the entire weekend. There are NO WATER HOOK-UPS available and electrical power is on a B.Y.O.E.C. (Bring Your Own Extension Chords). We will be not charging any fees for the camp sites but we are incurring fees to allow this to happen for the weekend so any donations towards this cost would be greatly appreciated.
I would also ask that you email me at "
davebailey@baileyconstruction.ca" if you plan on camping for the weekend, so that we can get a rough idea of how many camp sites will be required.
I also had an inquiry today from a very good local team regarding entry into the tournament. My response at this point is that we would consider additional teams but only in pairs. "IF" another team expresses interest in still attending this event, such entry would be strongly considered should I be made aware of it no later than Wednesday July 7th. it was always our intention to run 8 teams for this weekend but for various reasons, we presently have 6 quality teams and we are prepared to move forward with the aforementioned 6 teams UNLESS I receive firm commitment from two more teams VERY SOON. For the sake of the game and the event, if your team is interested, contact me immediately.
IN KEEPING in tune with the trying economic times, the gate fees for this event will be a TRUE BARGAIN!! Weekend Passes for the ENTIRE event will be sold for $10.00 each. One day passes including Friday night will be sold for $5.00 each. Children 12 and under will be admitted FREE. You just can't find this kind of entertainment anywhere for these prices!!!
Tavistock Ontario is located 15 minutes southeast of Stratford, 20 minutes north of Woodstock and 20 minutes west of Kitchener. For a notable point of reference, our village is 3km straight south of highway 7&8 at Shakespeare, Ontario. Shakespeare is located less than 10 minutes due east of Stratford. Highway #59 from Woodstock runs right through Tavistock to meet Highway 7&8 at Shakespeare. If you find the arena, you have found the QUEENS PARK and our friendly staff of volunteers will ensure that you don't get lost in anything but the atmosphere for the remainder of the weekend.
SEE YOU ALL IN
TAVISTOCK July 16 - 18.
Kind Regards
Dave Bailey
President - Tavistock Minor Ball
