Another year, another epic tournament! On Monday I decided to stop by the ballpark in Snug Cove, which only the day before had been packed full of fans and ballers, heroes and hecklers watching the action unfold at the most exciting Bowen Island Men's Fastpitch Tournament in 27 years, and the quiet emptiness of the ballpark after the weekend frenzy really brought it home for me what exactly we run this league, and this event, for: it's for love of our community, and for love of the game, but it's also a way to make sure that the memories of ballers past will continue to play in perpetuity in our hearts and minds.
Our local ballpark, and the men's league that inhabits it every year from April until August, was the creation of a handful of local heroes who knew that all they had to do was build it, and- well, you know the rest of that one.
Twenty-seven years later, the league is still going strong and the park is looking better than ever, thanks to the love and dedication of all those who have put in the time to keep it going. The field itself is a standing memorial to the memory of Alex Ross, one of the league's founding fathers, and the tournament trophy is a memorial for Scott Helenius, an enthusiastic young ball player who passed tragically in a house fire many years ago.
This year, it is with deep sadness that we add another memorial to this league. Greg Cope, a league founder, dedicated scorekeeper and ball player, left us very recently, and the legacy he leaves behind is one of friendship, sportsmanship, and a genuine love and respect for the game and for this league that he helped to shape. In Greg's honour, the most important trophy a man can win in this league, the Most Sportsmanlike Player award, has been re-christened the Greg Cope Most Sportsmanlike Player award. The league would like to recognize Kevin Toews of the Twins as the first winner of this trophy in Greg's name, and thank him for his consistently outstanding sportsmanship in an environment that doesn't always make it easy to play nice. Greg would have been proud.
There are no fewer than 19 trophies awarded at this tournament, and the complete list of this year's winners can be viewed online through our Facebook group or at www.bowenbaseball.com. I will just say a very quick congratulations here to the 2013 League Champions, the Diggers; Tournament Champions, the Firemen; League MVP Dan Cowper of the Diggers; and Tournament MVP Erik Hunter-James of the Firemen. This has been by far the greatest season I have ever seen you boys play, and I can't wait for 2014. 'Til then, keep calm and come to the All-Star game at Bowfest!
A memorial will be held for Greg Cope on Saturday, Aug. 17, at 11:30 a.m. at the golf course. We hope to see you there.
by Katalina Bernards
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