A league of their own: Treaty 3 baseball teams building community, love of sports

A recreational baseball league in the Treaty 3 territory west of Thunder Bay, Ont., is using sport to bring communities together, promote healing and foster a love of sports among children and adults.

The KCA Jays Care Kenora Rookie League wrapped up its first season this year, said coordinator Mike Luby, who spent time travelling to communities across Treaty 3 prior to the summer to set the circuit up. He said things are off to a great start.

"It ended up being a huge success and we had tons of kids and parents out at all the games," he said.

The eight teams that competed this past year included Grassy Narrows, Wabaseemoong, Naotakamegwanning (Whitefish Bay), Obashkaandagaang, Ochiichagwe'Babigo'Ining (Dalles), Wauzhushk Onigum, Shoal Lake 40 and a combined team from Northwest Angle 33 and Animakee Wa Zhing 37 (Northwest Angle 37).

The league, which is an effort of the Kenora Chiefs Advisory, has been funded by the Jays Care Foundation.

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One unique aspect of the slow pitch softball league is that it is all-ages, with specific rules governing the participation of athletes 10 and under, Luby said.

"So we actually had parents playing [alongside] kids and older brothers with younger siblings," he said. "We had a rule where if the kid was 10 and under he was allowed to play with an older player alongside them."

That meant you could have two people playing second base at once.

The communities just got right into it-League coordinator Mike Luby

Teams travelled to each other's communities or played ball in Kenora during the season. Each team played 16 games, Luby said, adding that the trips and the competitions were more than just about baseball.

"Just the coming together, it was just awesome seeing these communities come together," he said, adding that that there was also a points system in place throughout the season where teams were rewarded for things like fan support at games or hosting an opponent at a barbecue.

"The communities just got right into it," he said. "All the games were just super fun to be a part of, there's these signs made at some games and there'd be fans yelling."

"For the most part it stayed all fun, sometimes it got a little bit too competitive," he said, laughing.

The community spirit was also evident in how much help he had setting things up, Luby said.

"If I didn't have the volunteers step up and the people from the communities or the help from the Right To Play community mentors, this league wouldn't have happened," he said.

As for next year, Luby said he's looking to add more teams to the league — Iskatewizaagegan 39 (Shoal Lake 39), Eagle Lake, Onigaming and a second team from Wabaseemoong played in a special season-ending tournament on Saturday — and additional competitive divisions for players aged 14 and up.

He said he'd even like to use the same format down the road to expand into different sports, like basketball or volleyball.

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He said there's no reason why a grassroots system can't be in place to give young athletes the opportunity to grow and develop — or just continue to have fun playing with family and friends.

When he visited communities to pitch the idea of the league, he said he often asked the same question: "'I was just like 'who all knows somebody here [who] should have made it in sports?'"

"Everywhere I went, someone raised their hand," he continued. "Let's change this ... five years from now, whenever we ask that question, it's 'we all know somebody who did make it.'"