Beating the heat at softball championship triple header

Saskatoon is hosting a softball frenzy this weekend as three national championship tournaments happen in one place at the same time for the first time in Softball Canada’s history.

Organizer Brian Kosteroski is elated to add to the city’s rich softball history.

“It’s never been done before,” Kosteroski said. “When we put that application into Softball Canada, they kind of looked at us and said, ‘Three at once? Saskatoon can do it with the facilities they have.’”

The tournaments on tap were the U-14 boy’s national championship which wrapped up on Wednesday, the U-16 boy’s championship and the U-23 men’s championship that have brought a total of 32 teams to Saskatoon.

“You know what? They all got big smiles and there’s some pretty heavy competition going on here,” Kosteroski said.

With the three tournaments included, Kosteroski said Saskatoon has now hosted 24 national championships. Next year, Saskatoon will host its 25th tournament.

“There are no other cities even near that, even half that value,” he said. “You look at the facilities here and that’s why we’re getting all these events.”

Hot temperatures playing a major role

Temperatures in Saskatoon soared above 30 C for much of the competition. The ones feeling the heat more than most is the umpires.

Buried underneath layers of padding, added clothes and not having the added luxury of a shaded dugout, is the umpire tandem of Corey Barrett and Wade St. Onge.

They’re not exactly subtle about their distaste at the high temperatures.

“Heat is the enemy. Max 25 C and sunny is perfect,” Barrett said.

“Overcast, wind is never good. We always like to see sun, as much brightness as possible – 20 C to 25 C is kind of optimal for us.”

St. Onge has been an umpire at events like these for 12 years, and always expects at least one or two scorching tournaments each summer. Sweat becomes second nature in a short time.

“We probably lose, in a tournament, five to seven pounds in a five-day tournament,” he said. “But we often get together and eat like kings.

Therefore, we don’t lose as much weight as we should or could.”

For Barrett, staying out at the ball diamond for hours on end, officiating multiple games in one day is just part of the job.

“We’re the forgotten one, that’s what we do. Better not seen,” Barrett said of his duties. “You got to keep on top of hydration, drink as much fluids as possible and make sure you don’t stop sweating.”