By Patrick Burles - PatrickBurles on Twitter

Baseball exchange brings elite Japanese players to Vauxhall

Feb 13, 2017 | 8:38 AM

VAUXHALL – A new relationship has started to blossom between a small town in southern Alberta and one of the biggest cities in Japan.

In January, four top players and a chaperone/translator from a high school in Sendai, Japan, visited the Vauxhall Academy of Baseball for 14-days. It was the first part in an exchange, that will see two players from the academy travel to Japan this spring.

“We experienced hockey, we went to a couple [Lethbridge] Hurricanes games, which were a great experience,” said Vauxhall head coach, Les McTavish in an interview with Lethbridge News Now. “We did Waterton, we went skating, we did Drumheller and did a whole bunch of different things.”

While McTavish says the exchange offers a special opportunity for players from both countries to see a new approach to baseball, it also gives them an important glimpse of a completely different culture.

“They got along tremendously well, they lived in our residence with our guys,” explained McTavish. “They were able to exchange ideas, culture. Kids are vibrant, they understand, they can adapt so well, so it was certainly exciting to be a part of.” He noted that while the Japanese players couldn’t speak English, the sport the players share in common provided a link that helped bring everyone together.

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The next stage of the exchange will now come in March, when two Vauxhall Academy players — from Grades 10 or 11 — are selected to head overseas in June.

“When our players go over there, they’ll experience temples, they’ll experience museums, and there’s history that’s so old and so unique, that people that have never been to Asia have never experienced,” stated McTavish, having visited the country himself to help prepare for the exchange. “Most of our players are from all over the country, and they’re used to a little bit faster pace than small Vauxhall, but when they get to Sendai, Japan, it’ll be a real quick pace.

“On the baseball front, they’ll certainly be part of a different experience,” McTavish continued. “It’s very, very unique, it’s very team oriented. The coach does a lot of watching, not a lot of teaching, and they have certain players that run certain aspects of their practice, so that will be really extremely cool and a great experience for the kids.”

McTavish added that their players will also attend one or two professional games to watch the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.

Beyond this year, McTavish says the exchange could have a bright future.

“There’s such a rich Japanese tradition, heritage and culture in southern Alberta. I think it’s something that we hope to continue to expand on annually and make a good experience for everybody.”