Blair Walkey, assistant coach of the Cariboo-North East baseball team (Zone 8) is exceptionally proud of how far his boys have come in the BC Summer Games, even if they didn't get themselves into the finals. Sharing in his excitement are the boys’ mothers.
“We got a couple of young guys here who are playing their highest level of ball,” Walkey boasted.
Playing their last game of the tournament, Zone 8 was all about giving 100 per cent on the diamond. Walkey said, “[He’s] expecting [his] boys to go out and give one hundred percent. We worked hard to get here.”
And, even though they came out in fourth, the team has no regrets about their games. They said they are simply happy to have experienced the past three days.
“I’m just kind of sad that it’s over, this is my first BC Summer Games,” 12-year-old Devon Craig from Valemont said. One of the newest additions to the team this year, Craig plays right field and is happy his team has gotten so far. Craig’s mother, Melanie Hystad, is grateful the team has been so warm in welcoming her shy 12-year-old to the team.
Celeste Tarasoff, mother of 13-year-old Dylan Savory of Prince George, said her son’s team’s first goal was to get into either the gold or bronze medal final, so it’s no wonder the team still brightly smiles after the games.
“Fourth place is better than zero," Tarasoff said. "They did well and tried really hard. It’s an experience that many kids don’t get to do.”