In October, the Kennebecasis Valley Girls Softball Association turned on the lights at Wells Recreation Park softball field, lights made possible with the help of Jays Care, the Toronto Blue Jays charitable foundation.
Friday the players got a second gift from Jays Care, participating in skills clinics and meeting former Jays prospect and Saint John native Andrew Case.
The weather chose to play the villain, but just like the Blue Jays, no rainouts here.
Players, parents and supporters moved indoors to the Irving Oil Field House, and the rain did nothing to dampen the spirits of the young softball players.
Jays Care rep Geoff Seto said the event was an amazing opportunity for the players.
“We have an amazing coaching staff,” Seto told the players. “And we’re really excited to share a little bit in terms of our experiences with you all.”
The lights have been in use since the season began for the league in the spring.
Rothesay Mayor Matt Alexander says the lights will have a lasting impact on the community.
“These new lights are about much more than illuminating the softball field,” he said.
“They create opportunities. They allow the Kennebecasis Valley Girls Softball Association to extend its season, provide more practice and game times and ensure that girls have every opportunity to develop their skills, build confidence, and create lifelong friendships throughout sport.”
KVGSA executive director Shawn Titus said the lights have been a great addition to the Wells softball field.
“You test out some hitting and some catching and the kids go on the field and it just it does it creates a sense of excitement in the community,” Titus said.
The lights have allowed the younger players to get playing and practice time on an actual softball field, rather than a nearby soccer field.
Titus said it gives the girls a better sense of the fundamental parts of the game, especially the real dimensions of a ballfield.
“You lose that a little bit when you move to a soccer field,” he said. “So having the ability to come back to a softball field and build off of that and those elements and help train the brain and the mind and we talk about that a lot.”
