Weight of a nation on young shoulders
Team of 12- and 13-year-olds from White Rock representing Canada
The young baseball players on White Rock Little League’s Canadian championship team are pinching themselves.
Waiting for their flight from Toronto to New Jersey Sunday, the group still couldn’t believe they will ditch their White Rock jerseys and put on a Canada jersey at the Little League World Series in Pennsylvania this week.
Coach Ryan Hefflick said the kids were elated to take the Canadian title in Medicine Hat, Alta., Saturday with a 12-5 win over Quebec.
“Even today they’re looking at each other and saying, ‘We’re going to the Little League World Series,’ almost in disbelief that it’s real,” Hefflick said. “Until it happens it doesn’t seem real. A ton of teams compete for it. To be the one to go is awesome.”
He said the kids — all 12- and 13-year-olds — know they have been given a “privileged opportunity.”
“It’s an honour and a privilege to represent Canada. That’s what they are most excited about — wearing Canada on their chests,” said Hefflick, whose son, Reid, plays on the team.
“This may be the only time they get to play for their country. It might be the best moment of baseball in their whole lives.”
The team was to arrive in Williamsport, Penn., late Sunday — via a three-hour bus ride from Newark, N.J. Their first game is Thursday against Italy.
“We’re hoping they are going to throw us a bunch of meatballs over the plate,” laughed Hefflick, who explained that means “juicy pitches that we can hit out of the park.”
The team dominated at the national tournament. In an eight-game span they scored 114 runs to their opponents’ 24.
A Canadian team hasn’t reached the finals at the Little League World Series in more than 50 years. A team from Stoney Creek, Ont., lost the title to a Connecticut club 3-1 in 1965.
The competition is fierce, with most Canadian teams getting a win or two before being eliminated from the event. Canadian teams had a pair of semifinal appearances in the 1990s and a team from Whalley made the quarter-finals in 2005.
Meanwhile, folks in White Rock are cheering on the team of Canadian stars.
Over at South Surrey Athletic Park, the home of White Rock Little League, Tanya Vance at the Extra Innings restaurant and concession had some words of encouragement: “Keep up the good work.”
“It’s awesome to see them do so well,” Vance said.
— With files from Matt Robinson