Terrace and area is going to be well represented the first week of August when the national U17 boys fast pitch championships take place in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
All but two of the players are from here and all five coaches are also from here on the team representing B.C.
It makes for a tight-knit group of players and coaches who have known each other for years, says head coach Ryan Praticante.
Officially they will be Team B.C. at the championships but locally they’re the Terrace Mariners.
“This is going to be play at a very high level,” said Praticante of the national championships.
But the players are responding, not only through local league play but by coming out early than the set starting time for Friday and Sunday night team practices.
“There’s always room for improvement at this level,” said Praticante of practice drills conducted by the coaches.
As head coach, Praticante also has his eye on future national championship opportunities because the majority of the players are several years away from aging out.
“This isn’t one and done. Yes, we’ve got a really good young team going to New Brunswick but this is also preparation for next year in Quebec as well,” he said.
“We’re going to have a very competitive team playing at a level that is at as high as you can get.”
Two players from Clearwater flesh out the team’s roster for the tournament.
While the current U17 team continues Terrace’s reputation for turning out good ball players, Praticante says the same of the coaches.
While he and coach Jordie Edmonds have been together for nine years, the other three coaches are very much the next generation coming up to guide future teams.
“They’ve all played together. They bring lots of eyes to the field and lots of experience at provincials and nationals,” said Praticante of Braden Vennard, Elijah Mahill and Ryan Edmonds.
Getting to New Brunswick which beings August 2 and lasts until Aug. 6 has taken as much organizing and commitment as is happening on the field.
The team has a travel budget of $60,000 — airfare alone is $26,000.