When 11-year-old Matt Whittall goes back to school in September, he will have quite a summer of baseball stories to tell.
After qualifying for the provincials with his mosquito all-star team, the Gibsons Minor Ball Association (GMBA) product learned he was among the select few to represent Canada at the World Children's Baseball Fair (WCBF) in Japan.
The WCBF, a non-profit organization, was established in 1989 by home-run king Japanese product Sadaharu Oh and the Major League home-run king Hank Aaron. Its goal is to foster an environment of world understanding and cultural exchange through the celebration of baseball, which became an Olympic medal sport in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Today, countries from five continents participated in this global event.
"A general call out for players took place last winter and we submitted Matt's name and that he was part of GMBA," recalls Matt's mother Shannon. "They have a very restricted age group, and they really look for well-rounded players and players they feel will get the most out of the experience. I got a call about a month ago saying Matt had been short-listed. We did about an hour-long interview and he was selected."
During the week-long event, the players took part in baseball clinics run by the International Baseball Association and participated in intercultural activities aimed at improving international understanding. The emphasis on the event is learning and having fun, not competition.
"It was so much fun," said Matt. "We would play a game after the skills and then we went on trips to museums, saw some shows. The thing that I remember was seeing all the temples from the bus. It was really cool."
Matt also has lasting friendships from the experience and has continued to stay in touch with a pal from Italy.
"We email each other every day," Matt said.
"The cultural side of it was just a great experience," added Shannon, who made the trip along with her mother to catch all of Matt's games. "Everyone was so happy and I think got so much out of the experience. They all met as a team once before the trip and then stayed together in dorms with almost 200 kids. It was a life-altering experience for Matt. I don't think he's ever going to forget the experience."
Because of the trip to Japan, Matt missed playing with his mosquito team at the provincials, but he's quick to point out that he helped get them there.
The next trip for the third baseman and pitcher is the Big League Experience camp in Oliver next week with other players from GMBA.
"Matt is a positive, amiable young lad," said GMBA president Brian Scarr. "He has been a leader in the mosquito division over the past two years. In terms of an ambassador for Gibsons, the Sunshine Coast and Canada, there couldn't be a better pick than Matty. As president, I can say on behalf of GMBA that we are so proud of him for being selected for this team and representing his country so well. It is an honour for Gibsons and GMBA that one of our players was selected for this team, given how many children from across B.C. were being considered. It speaks volumes about our community and is a true compliment to GMBA, a very small association in comparison to others in B.C."
