More than 30 young baseball players got a chance to have some fun and improve their skills during a free clinic last weekend at Halfmoon Bay's Connor Park.
The Central Baseball League and Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) offered the free clinic as a first step in a pilot project that has been started by the SCRD.
The SCRD has hired Dan Kasperski, who ran the clinic, a two-sport professional athlete, coach, scout and instructor, to go up and down the Coast meeting with every youth and adult sports organization in an effort to create better partnerships and, overall, to make each organization run more effectively and efficiently to benefit more young athletes. He is compiling a report, which will be presented to the SCRD in May. From there, the SCRD will evaluate to try and improve the sports groups and associations and offer assistance where needed.
"Numbers are in decline in varying associations up and down the Coast. The SCRD wants to find out why and where we can improve to see those numbers increasing again," said Kasperski. "It appears that there are some great organizations here on the Coast with many quality coaches and parent volunteers, but many are getting burned out. You are seeing the same volunteers working for two, sometimes three sporting groups. Wouldn't it be great to see more of the user groups working together on things like fundraising, skills camps etc?
"Of the user groups that I have spoken to so far, all are saying that it is time to start working more together for the best interest of the kids."
Kasperski said last weekend's skills camp offered tips on hitting, throwing, catching, fielding and pitching, but was done in a basic and fun way.
"One of the things I find about youth sport is unless you know how to play, you won't have much fun," he said.
"What I want to see is teaching basic skills, because in a sport like baseball, the basic fundamental skills are essential. I think this philosophy translates in every sport. We need to find ways to make these skills camps fun and easy for the kids and for the parents and the coaches. We did that last weekend."
Kasperski was born in Weyburn, Sask. and played minor league hockey in Daytona Beach Fla, played baseball for Team Canada and attended Iowa State University on a baseball scholarship. He also played hockey oversees and has coached and mentored in Finland. He has also worked professionally for the Seattle Mariners and Atlanta Braves baseball clubs.
Kasperski will be moving full-time to the Coast April 1 and is looking forward to working with all the sports groups the Coast has to offer.
"My goal is building fine young men and women through sport. This is a by the Coast, for the Coast on the Coast initiative," he said.
