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Provincial Champions 1987
Provincial Champions 1988
Silver Medalists Westerns 1988
Provincial Champions 1990
Canadian Championship Participants 1990
In 1980, a group of five
and six year-old boys started playing fastball together at Falun. They
practiced, played games and attended tournaments. When they were eight
and nine years-old they started playing competitively at the Squirt
Level and entered the zone play downs. As Squirts they won the
Provincial Championship in 1984 and again in 1985 as Peewees. The core
of this group played together up to the Midget Level. As Bantams they
won the Provincials in 1987 and 1988 and as Provincial Champions they
represented Alberta at the Western Canadians both years. At Westerns,
in 1987, they placed fourth and in 1988 the team won the Silver Medal.
As Midgets in 1990 they again won the Provincial Championship and then
went on to represent Alberta at the Canadian Championships. All in all,
it was an exceptional achievement for a group of boys from the small
community of Falun. Credit also goes to the coaches and the managers
for their expert guidance of these boys through the years.
1987 Falun Bantam "A" Boys Fastball Team
(Click Photo to view Team including Names of Players)
1988 Falun Bantam "A" Boys Fastball Team
(Click Photo to view Team including Names of Players)
1990 Falun Midget "A" Boys Fastball Team
(Click Photo to view Team including Names of Players)
1987 was the first year
that the boys were eligible to go beyond the Provincial Championships to
the Western Canadian Championships. At the start of the season
the thirteen Falun Bantam Boys set a goal to win Provincials and
go on to Westerns. They made a commitment to attend practices twice a
week and attend tournaments in Edmonton, Lloydminster, Red Deer and
Calgary. They didn’t win all of the tournaments but always made it into
the playoff rounds. The 1987 Provincials were played at Falun and the
boys went through the round robin undefeated. They won the semi-final
game and then defeated Lloydminster 5-3 in the final to advance to the
Western Canadians. Westerns were hosted by Red Deer with teams from BC,
Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta and the Yukon. Falun went five wins and
three losses in the round robin, advanced to the playoff round but lost
two straight and ended up fourth. That loss fueled their desire to do
better the next year.
Team of Thirteen
Players Make Play-off
Rounds at Western Canadian Championships
In 1988 when the snow
disappeared and the ball diamonds were ready, the hockey sticks were put
away and the ball gloves came out. With half of the 1987 team returning
they all know what the mission and goal was. After experiencing the
1987 Western Canadians, they all knew that more game experience was
necessary so they entered the South Edmonton Rural Men’s Fastball
League. As young fourteen and fifteen year-olds, playing against men
might sound frightening but they held their own.
Teenagers Show the Men
What They are Made Of
The experience of playing
in the men’s league as well as attending five tournaments paid off.
When the Provincial playoffs came along they felt prepared. In the
double knockout format, the team lost one of the early games which meant
they had to win every game after that. To win, on the final day the
team had to play four games, one after the other. They won three in and
row and made it to the finals. The game was tied at the top of the
seventh inning and the winning run was scored on a passed ball to home
plate. Falun won 4 to 3.
Winning the Provincials
and representing Alberta in Winnipeg for the Western Canadians was a new
experience for some but a repeat for the 1987 returnees. With teams
again from BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, the Yukon and Manitoba, and the
host team, the stage was set. Falun finished second in the round robin
and defeated BC in the semifinals giving them a berth in the final game.
In a hard fought battle, they were defeated by Saskatchewan and won the
silver medal.
In 1990 when the first
ball practice was called, thirteen Midget-aged boys showed up at the
diamond to play for the Falun team. Some players were from the Falun
Bantam teams and some were new to the group. The experience and
competitiveness of having played in the South Edmonton Rural Fastball
League for the past two years proved valuable both during the season and
in the Provincial playoffs. This group of boys were well respected not
only in Midget Tournaments across the province but where ever they
played. In the Provincial play downs the Falun boys went undefeated
playing with complete confidence and no errors.
Undefeated in
Provincial Play-Downs
Representing Alberta and
playing in the National Championship in Milverton, Ontario was a real
experience and thrill for these boys and coaches. There were ten teams
from British Columbia to Newfoundland representing every province except
Quebec and the Northwest Territories. Falun made the playoff round in
the National Championships but only had one life and lost the first
game. They ended up tied for 5th and 6th, quite an accomplishment for
these thirteen boys when compared to some of the other teams in the
championships. For example, the Ontario team (a team that had played in
Falun against these boys in 1985 as PeeWees) had 250 boys try out for
their team!
This group of boys was
special. Not only did they excel on the ball diamond, they were
considered top athletes within their schools and also at the hockey
rink. Nine of them have already been inducted in 2012 into the
Wetaskiwin and County Sports Hall of Fame as members of the 1987 and
1988 Wetaskiwin Legion 86‘s Bantam “A” Hockey Teams that won the
Provincial Championships.
We recognize the
exceptional accomplishments of these three Falun teams by inducting them
into the Wetaskiwin and County Sports Hall of Fame. Congratulations to
the players, managers and coaches for their dedication and
achievements.
1987 Falun Bantam “A”
Fastball Team: Darcy Rode, Trenton Heilman, Randy Begg, Kevin Cole, Kris
Ganske, Derry Burghardt, Lenny Cooper, Todd Pearson, Clyde Hannay, Darcy
Elder, Craig Brown, Travis Hauger, Jon Durstling, Mgr-Rolly Begg, Ass’t
Coach-Daryn Breitkreuz, Coach-Brian Brown
1988 Falun Bantam “A”
Fastball Team: Darcy Rode, Trenton Heilman, Randy Begg, Kevin Cole, Kris
Ganske, Derry Burghardt, Lenny Cooper, Todd Pearson, Clyde Hannay, Rob
Hartnell, Neil Brown, Kerry Kijewski, Harlan Hannay, Mgr-Rolly Begg,
Ass’t Coach-Lorn Ganske, Ass’t Coach-Brent Harden, Coach-Brian Brown
1990 Falun Midget “A”
Fastball Team: Darcy Rode, Trenton Heilman, Randy Begg, Kevin Cole, Kris
Ganske, Derry Burghardt, Rob Hartnell, Neil Brown, Curtis Palmer, Rob
Hardy, Tim Reeves, Cheynne Law, Jeff Gross, Mgr-Rolly Begg, Ass’t
Coach-Lorne Ganske, Ass’t Coach-Lorne rode, Coach-Brian Brown
Team Members Include:
Randy Begg (87,88,90), Derry Burghardt (87,88,90), Kevin Cole
(87,88,90), Kris Ganske (87,88,90), Trenton Heilman (87,88,90), Darcy
Rode (87,88,90), Lenny Cooper (87, 88), Clyde Hannay (87,88), Todd
Pearson (87,88), Darcy Elder (87), Craig Brown (87), Travis Hauger (87),
Jon Durstling (87), Neil Brown (88,90), Rob Hartnell (88,90), Harlan
Hannay (88), Kerry Kijewski (88), Jeff Gross (90), Rob Hardy (90),
Cheynne Law (90), Curtis Palmer (90), Tim Reeves (90), Coach-Brian
Brown (887,88,90), Assistant Coach-Daryn Breitkreuz (87), Assistant
Coach-Lorne Ganske (88,90), Assistant Coach-Brent Harden (88), Assistant
Coach-Lorne Rode (90), Manager-Rolly Begg (87,88,90)
(Click Photos Above to view Team and Names of Players)
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