Western Canadian Mennonite Slow Pitch Ball Tournaments: 1982-1998

Osler Mennonite Church Slow Pitch Team in 1990 at Waldheim, Saskatchewan Back: Bryce Guenther, Garry Boldt, Brent Stucky, Lloyd Sawatzky, Bruce Boldt, Brian McGill, Ben Buhler. Front: Dan Wollf, Kevin Boldt, Brad Banman, Jeff Rempel, Michael Dyck.
Photo: Courtesy of Jake Buhler.

Every week-end nearest July 1 from 1982 to 1998, 18 teams from western Canada gathered in a single location to determine which Mennonite church could field the best team and receive the Western Canadian Mennonite Slow Pitch Cup for the year.

The Western Canadian Mennonite Slow Pitch Ball Tournament was the dream of Merv Derksen (1926-2001), a member of First Mennonite Church in Saskatoon, to have an annual slow pitch ball tournament. His idea was to bring together church teams from British Columbia to Manitoba to socialize and have fun playing ball while visiting, sharing, and experiencing rich bonds with each other and with God. Merv nudged a few people to help him plan this event and soon Ben Buhler, Ernie Epp, and John Dyck formed the permanent four-member organizing committee. For 15 years a tournament was held in either Manitoba or Saskatchewan. Tournaments were hosted in the following locations: Rosetown, Swift Current, Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Morden. Teams from Alberta locations such as Didsbury, Edmonton and Calgary, also participated at times.

Slow Pitch ball is a variant of softball; and, softball is a sport similar to baseball but played with a larger ball on a smaller field and with only underhand pitches. In Slow Pitch ball, there are ten players, not nine. Another difference is that the pitcher must lob the pitch between 6 and 12 feet high with the object of landing it on home plate. The batter will of course wish to hit it into the outfield.

Slow Pitch ball became popular in North America after 1980. It was an alternative to the rigor and competitive nature of baseball and softball. Slow Pitch ball was more recreational. A third of the players that played in the annual Mennonite Slow Pitch Tournaments were farmers and it was always a chore to find temporary substitutes to milk the cows or till the fields. Up to 500 players and fans would gather in an average double-knockout tournament. For some time, the annual tournament would go back and forth from Winnipeg, Manitoba to Waldheim, Saskatchewan. Both locations had excellent facilities. For a short period, a certain Winnipeg businessman, Martin Bergen gave the organizing committee an annual grant of $5,000.00 to rent the John Blumberg Ball Facility with lights, and wonderful drainage in case of rain. Umpires could be secured for the entire tournament. The grants made planning much easier and facility added to the enjoyment of the event.

Wonderful connections were made during these tournaments. Friends and family came together and were reunited. Long lost school friends were reunited, some from Canadian Mennonite Bible College, Mennonite Collegiate Institute, Mennonite Brethren Bible College, Bethany College and Rosthern Junior College. Church conference issues were discussed, but instead of voting on an issue, they played ball and the winner got to play one more game!

Shortly after the mid-1990s the number of teams entering the tournament decreased significantly and there was a need to consider discontinuing, even if only temporarily. Perhaps players had gotten too old, and not enough younger one added. For 14 years the tournaments had been most enjoyable and rewarding as community building events for some Mennonite churches in Western Canada.

Bibliography

Information from Ben Buhler.

Additional Information

Teams hosted in 1988 in Waldheim, Saskatchewan

.	Church	Location
1	Sargent Avenue Mennonite Church	Winnipeg, Manitoba
2	Douglas Mennonite Church	Winnipeg, Manitoba
3	Fort Garry Mennonite Fellowship	Winnipeg, Manitoba
4	River East Mennonite.Brethren Church	Winnipeg, Manitoba
5	Grace Mennonite Church	Regina, Saskatchewan
6	Herschel Mennonite Church	Herschel, Saskatchewan
7	Wildwood Mennonite Church	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
8	Nutana Park Mennonite Church	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
9	Mayfair Mennonite Church	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
10	Mount Royal Mennonite Church	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
11	First Mennonite Church	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
12	Pleasant Hill Mennonite Church	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
13	Zoar Mennonite Church	Langham, Saskatchewan
14	Osler Mennonite Church	Osler, Saskatchewan
15	Rosthern Mennonite Church	Rosthern, Saskatchewan
16.	Neuanlage Mennonite Church	Neuanlange, Saskatchewan
17	Waldheim Mennonite Brethren Church	Waldheim, Saskatchewan
18	Zoar Mennointe Church	Waldheim, Saskatchewan

Author(s)	Jake Buhler
Date Published	25 April 2024

Cite This Article

MLA style

Buhler, Jake. "Western Canadian Mennonite Slow Pitch Ball Tournaments: 1982-1998." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 25 April 2024. Web. 5 May 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Western_Canadian_Mennonite_Slow_Pitch_Ball_Tournaments:_1982-1998&oldid=178730.

APA style

Buhler, Jake. (25 April 2024). Western Canadian Mennonite Slow Pitch Ball Tournaments: 1982-1998. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 5 May 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Western_Canadian_Mennonite_Slow_Pitch_Ball_Tournaments:_1982-1998&oldid=178730.

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