After hitting the age of 55, Alvin and Val VanCaessele of Churchbridge jumped at the chance to play
senior slo-pitch. Years later the duo still travels as far as Weslaco, Texas for a couple of months each
year to enjoy the fun, but still highly-competitive sport.
This summer they teamed up with the Assiniboine Golden Aces to make the trek to Winnipeg,
Manitoba on August 9-11 for the Western Canadian Slo-pitch Championship.
The team won their first two games on August 9 th , having to come back in the second game in extra-
innings.
On the second day, the 10th, they were again successful winning their two games of the day. Thus
they had four wins in the qualifying round giving them one less game in the Championship round if
they won their first game.
Unfortunately, that was not to be as the Aces lost the first game in the Championship. They had to
come back the hard way from the bottom of the draw and needed to win all three of their games on
the last day. And that they did.
The tired crew was all smiles after a hard fought tournament. Seven games over three days is a
challenge as one gets older but the victory is just as sweet. Team-victory is the goal, but Alvin and Val
can hold their heads high for playing large roles individually as well. Alvin hit over .500 (batting
average) for the tournament and was valuable driving in runs (RBIs) whenever he had the chance.
Val consistently found herself on base, scoring many runs in the process.
The team had the SPN provincial tournament on the August 24-25th weekend and that ended another
successful ball season for the senior team. The Golden Aces are mainly comprised of select players
from many different towns in the Parkland Area. One of the reasons they can compete at this level of
play is that most of the players play in various hometown slo-pitch leagues.
The team would like to thank Kamsack, Preeceville, Melville and Swan River for hosting senior slo-
pitch tournaments.
Another large tournament Alvin and Val enjoy playing in is the Fitness Games which will be in Prince
Albert and are held every 2 years. Their team entered 2 years ago and won the slo-pitch title at the
Fitness Games.
Val and Alvin mentioned they really enjoy the fun atmosphere of slo-pitch. Although they may travel to
Texas, they say the Texas teams also travels north to Manitoba which creates a bit of a reunion-like
and social atmosphere. Competition is tough, but the teams are close-knit like a family. Alvin says
they are “competitive on the field and social after; and that’s a big part of it. After the game it is over
you go on to the next one and there is no bad blood; not at this age”.
The championship duo’s schedule goes from June to August where they play over 40 games of slo-
pitch. They recently put a team in Yorkton’s tournament which was made up mostly family members,
and claimed 2nd on the A-side.
*Parts of this story were submitted by the Assiniboine Golden Aces team manager, Dave.
