HISTORY OF THUNDER BAY GIRLS SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION - By Lorne Krisko

The history of girl's softball, here in the city of Thunder Bay Ontario Canada, goes back a good many years. Prior to 1970, the year when the two cities had to amalgamate (Fort William & Port Arthur) also known as the two sister cities, or twin cities, girl's baseball was known very little. Baseball was always a boys sport, not a girls sport.

Girls always wanted to play baseball for a league but it wasn't heard of back then. Finally a group of girls got together in a neighborhood and asked the parents if they could supervise a game--either by coaching or umpiring. This started off slowly and games occurred merely once a week with only a small group of girls who were able to make up two small teams. Eventually, other girls heard about this and wanted to join and have some fun. Soon, two girls baseball leagues were formed. One in the North Ward (Port Arthur) and one in the South Ward (Fort William).

In Port Arthur the league was known as the Current River Girls Baseball League and in Fort William it was known as Southside Girls Softball Association. The two original organizers of these two leagues Margaret Lawrence (Current River) and Lorne Krisko (Southside Girls) still are with the girls program today.

When the cities joined as one city, known today as Thunder Bay, the girls on the north side had ball fields at Current River fenced in and with proper fields. However, in the south side, the girls had to rent property from the two school boards to play on the open fields of various school yards and whatever the city had given them with a back stop.

Finally in the year 2002, the city of Thunder Bay suggested to both leagues that perhaps they should look at joining together and become one unit. This way both leagues would benefit from not having to play on rented school property, having to pay separate insurance for the girls, and most importantly having proper baseball fields to play on. President Brent Garbet at this time, who took over from Lorne Krisko (who ran the league for very many years) in the south side of the city, approached Current River, and both executives met and agreed to various terms for the girls baseball league. They formed one unit, known as it is today as The Thunder Bay Girls Softball Association, run with the help of the Current River Recreation Association.

Today this league has approximately 300 girls that play baseball from the ages of 8 years old to 19 years old. Each group of girls is put into divisions within the league. Minor (8-11 years), Pee Wee (12-14 years), Bantam (15-16 years), Midget (17-19 years) and now for first time accepting women of the age of 20 or over to form an adult league. This division is still in the making waiting for more 20+ women to join. We know this well take time, and the league hopes it will take off for the remaining years.

The TBGSBA is a fun league for girls. There objective is to teach the girls the fundamentals of baseball, how to hit, catch the ball, and play various positions. Another objective is for the girls to met new friends, and play with girls in their own age bracket.

The league has come a long way with a group of dedicated parents who give up their time two months of the year, May and June, before school is out, to allow the girls to play a sport like the boys do, and be proud of it. At the end of the year, just before school is out for the summer, the league holds a 4 day baseball tournament for the girls, where they compete against each other for prizes and bragging rights for the year.

To all the volunteer coaches who give up their time to teach these girls, we say 'thank you for a job well done'. To all the umpires who come out faithfully each night to make sure the games are played fair we say 'thank you' as well.

Most of all, the league would like to thank the city of Thunder Bay Recreation Department for all their co-operation in making this league run as it does today. Last but not least, we thank the Current River Recreation for taking these girls under their belt, to make this happen.

If anyone has any comments of concern, suggestions of improvement etc, or would like to help out with the league, please get in touch with us by calling anyone of the executive members.

Let's all be proud of the organization we help out, allowing the girls have a fun field for two months of playing a sport they like doing, namely Baseball. In closing let's say the most common words one hears at a ball field, "LETS PLAY BALL"