Whitehorse hopes to host second junior men’s world fastpitch championship in 2012

Softball Yukon is in the process of bidding for the 2012 ISF Junior Men's World Fastpitch Championship, said the organization's executive director.

Softball Yukon is in the process of bidding for the 2012 ISF Junior Men’s World Fastpitch Championship, said the organization’s executive director.

George Arcand said the community’s response to the first tournament, held in Whitehorse in June 2008,  was so good that they hope to do it again.

“The whole event was tremendous and I think we could do it again,” he said. “The support that we got from the city in the sense of the fans coming out and the comments we got back on how much they enjoyed it. So we decided to try it again.”

Arcand said he expects the bidding process to take a few months.

The first ISF Junior Men’s tournament was recently nominated for the 2009 Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance Prestige Awards in the Event of the Year Category ($250 k +). It ended up finishing in the top three, with the winner being Ottawa’s 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Arcand said he wasn’t disappointed about not winning.

“It was a thrill to be nominated,” he said. “I was not disappointed at all. I think it was great for softball and for the City of Whitehorse to be nominated.”

Awards were presented in Gatineau, Quebec earlier in April and while the fastpitch tournament didn’t end up winning one, Arcand did.

In Gatineau he received the Community Service Prestige Award given by the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance for his dedicated work within the sport community.

“It was really nice,” Arcand said. “It was a nice honour and recognition by your peers is great. I really appreciate it.”

In other softball news, the Community Development Fund, will be giving Softball Yukon $107,000 to touch up some of its diamonds.

The work will be done on diamonds three, four and five, which are ones across the street from the Pepsi Softball Centre on Range Road. The organization will also to do work on minor softball fields and to do work on the Robert Service diamonds.

The diamonds are in need of resurfacing, while Robert Service parks needs the same as well as some fence work.

Arcand said the work will be done over summer, starting in June and working into the season.

He said the money committed by the CDF was welcomed news.

“It’s great to know they are supporting us,” Arcand said. “We certainly need the upgrade.”

The start of this year’s season has been delayed as a result of all the snowfall this past winter. Arcand said the kids’ season was supposed to begin on Monday, however it now looks like be pushed back to Wednesday. He added the adult league is still expected to begin May 11.