Dan Johns was smiling. Kidsports, the premier kids sporting event complex in the state, took all that Mother Nature could offer. Two hours later, the AA and B/C state tournaments were back on.
When the murky forecast turned into buckets of water, the State AA and B/C Softball tournaments at Conrad Complex were in jeopardy two weeks ago. Around 4 p.m., both Flathead and Glacier high school administrators met with MHSA director Mark Beckman on a Plan B. Kalispell Youth Softball Association (KYSA) President Sue Allen was contacted through a high school liaison to see if a change of venue could be made. Faced with the fact these two state tournaments could be relocated outside of the valley, Allen said, “Lets do it!”
While teams and their coaches were holed up in their respective hotels, members and volunteers of both Flathead and Glacier and KYSA board members leapt into action. Backstops had 4-6 inches of standing water. Trenches were dug to allow the water to get to lower ground. Squeegees and rakes were manned. Copious amounts of diamond dry raked into the pitcher mounds and batters boxes. Concession stand up and running. Fans were filtering into the complex during the hustle and bustle of baselines being chalked.
Oh yeah, the end-of-the-season tournament for KYSA was also scheduled that day. Semifinal games for 10U, 12U and 14U were moved to the outer fields and rescheduled later into the evening. The high school teams from the postponed games arrived at 5:30 to warm up. All of KYSA’s seven fields were in use a little before 6 p.m. A mixture of games no one has experienced. Fourteen-year-old recreational league players were sandwiched between high school players they will compete against next year. The Glacier Wolfpack v. Billings West game was next to two fierce 10-year-old teams. I wonder if those kids thought all those fans showed up to watch them. It was the semifinals after all. The atmosphere was like crosstown. A real field of dreams moment. A dream that started in 1998 with a guy who loves the game. Thanks, Dan.
Patrick Gulick
Kalispell