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Set your sights on sports
Friday, May 30th, 2008 by GetawayBC.com
Nick Greenizan
Sports Reporter
For sports fans who’d much rather watch than play, the Peninsula offers a slew of options this summer, so pull up a lawnchair or a patch of grass, and soak up some sun while watching some of the Peninsula’s best athletes.
Junior football’s Big Kahuna Rams – who play home games out of South Surrey Athletic Park – are back for their third season on the Peninsula, after moving south from Bear Creek Park, and begin the regular season July 19, on the road against the Kamloops Broncos. The team’s first home contest is Aug. 2, when the Rams host the defending champion Vancouver Island Raiders.
The Rams – whose roster features players aged 18-23 – finished with a 6-4 record last year, and had fielded plenty of talent, including young quarterback Cam Clark, from Surrey, who took home B.C. Football Conference rookie of the year honours after being thrust into a starting role just weeks before the start of the season.
In addition to junior football, there’s plenty of younger talent hitting the gridiron this summer, too. The White Rock-South Surrey Titans begin play in August, with more players registered than ever before. All Titans teams play at South Surrey Athletic Park.
If football isn’t your thing, there’s plenty more going on at the athletic park, from summer league soccer to baseball. The area’s two soccer associations – Peace Arch and Semiahmoo – will again field premier teams which will compete in the Pacific Coast Soccer League. The season begins in May, and wraps up in July. Last year – the inaugural season for both the men’s and women’s teams – the men’s side, Peace Arch SC, finished with a 7-4-7 won-lost-tied record, while the women’s team, Semiahmoo SC, won once and tied four games.
Both squads play home dates primarily on weekends, making them spectator-friendly. For more information, check out www.pcsl.org. On the ball diamond, the B.C. Premier Baseball League’s White Rock Tritons’ season is in full swing, with the club under the stewardship of new head coach Brent Swanson.
The Tritons have been one of the PBL’s most successful organizations over the years, with many players going on to the college ranks, and some – including last year’s ace pitcher Mitch Hodge – moving straight to the professional ranks. Hodge was picked in the fourth round of last summer’s Major League Baseball draft, and is now a minor leaguer with the Kansas City Royals.
With double-headers scheduled throughout the summer, there’s plenty of action to take in. For a full schedule, and information about the PBL, check out www.bcpbl.com or www.tritonsbaseball.com
Little League baseball is also popular on the Peninsula – White Rock-South Surrey Baseball Association is one of the biggest in Canada – and last year, the association marked its 50th anniversary. In addition, a summer squad of 12-year-old all-stars marched all the way from South Surrey ball fields to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.
Speaking of ball diamonds, Softball City is home to the White Rock Renegades girls fastpitch association – one of Canada’s pre-eminent programs. In the past, the ‘Gades have sent numerous teams to provincial and national championships, and a handful of players have moved on to play collegiately, or with Canada’s national team.;