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The sessions teach the fundamentals of baseball to youth. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)
summer fun

Jays Care baseball programs to begin next week in three LLRIB communities

Jul 9, 2021 | 12:52 PM

The Jays Care Foundation is once again sponsoring baseball development in northern Saskatchewan.

Summer camps are occurring in the Lac La Ronge Indian Band (LLRIB) communities of Hall Lake, La Ronge and Sucker River. Programming will be between July 13 and Aug. 19 during the day, targeting children as young as seven and as old as 17.

“In 2018, we first offered this program for youth that had a rookie league in each community, and each community had a coach and practices once a week,” LLRIB superintendent of schools Tammy Robinson stated in an email. “There was a call out for community volunteers to help with the program. The teams in each community played opposing teams once a week to organize games amongst the communities.”

Robinson explained this year, organizers decided to run the medium programming safety guideline option, which is the communities that are not in total lockdown are permitting children and youth to play together with safety measures in place. This means no teams will play other teams at this time, but the two summer students will travel to different communities to lead the programming.”

Programming in La Ronge is occurring at Jonas Roberts Memorial Community Centre, in Hall Lake at Sally Ross School and Sucker River at Chief Moses Ratt School. Depending on the interest, Robinson would like to see a full roster of participants in each community.

“Next year, the plan is to bring back full programming to have students play opposing teams once per week in all the Lac La Ronge Indian Band communities,” Robinson noted. “At this time, we are still in the planning phase for a summer year-end gathering.”

Sherika Charles and Angela Isbister were hired as summer students to lead to programming. They are both excited for what the summer has in store.

“I am excited to promote sport in the community after the lockdown of COVID,” Charles said.

Isbister also echoed her eagerness to begin sessions next week.

“It’s a great opportunity for us and kids to finally get out and have some fun after so long of being in a pandemic,” she said.

derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @saskjourno