Recognition for Weyburn Baseball Coach

Recognition for Weyburn Baseball Coach

(origional source: https://discoverweyburn.com/local-sports/recognition-for-weyburn-baseball-coach)

The winner of the Weyburn Minor Ball Builders Award is grateful for being honoured in this way.

Bert Kauf, former President of Weyburn Minor Ball and current Governor of zone 1 for Baseball, has been awarded for helping to keep Minor Baseball going in Weyburn.

"I was very pleasantly surprised that I got the Weyburn minor ball builders award through Weyburn minor ball which I'm very humbled about," said Kauf.

"I was President between 10 and 12 years helping minor ball with anything I could until the new executive came to fruition. So I was honoured that they thought of me in that regard."

Kauf started his involvement in Weyburn Minor Ball when his twenty-two-year-old son Trent was five years old in 2000.

Trent graduated from Weyburn Minor Ball Junior program at twenty-one but Bert has continued his involvement by coaching the PAR Contracting Athletics, the junior team.

Bert's success and involvement in Saskatchewan Baseball have been recognised and led to him also receiving an invite to the American Baseball Coach Convention.

Baseball Saskatchewan is sending him in the first week of the new year to Indianapolis, Indiana to the convention with five other coaches from the province.

"Over 6000 coaches from North America attend this conference. There are displays and there are ongoing classes, seminars and speakers to help with coaching. Its Baseball Saskatchewan's way of thanking you for your volunteering."

Bert has never been to the convention before and is looking forward to it.

"Everything from Major league to college coaches attending the conference as speakers and running the seminars, just basically awesome, 6000 coaches, I can't imagine, thats almost half of weyburn being in one place," explained Bert.

Bert is also going to be coaching the provincial junior 21 and under selects team going to Nationals at St Thomas, Ontario in August 2018.

"Last year we finished fourth out of ten teams, we were pretty close, lost in extra innings but this year we are hoping to compete again."

Bert who has coaching experience in hockey and baseball is feeling highly honoured to be selected for all the Builders Award and opportunities.

"It's great to see kids smile, not only do we teach them the game, we teach them lifeskills."

It was reported earlier in the year how Weyburn Minor Ball has experienced a year of growth and Bert attributes that to the success of the Toronto Blue Jays.

"Throughout the province last year Baseball Saskatchewan ended up getting 246 teams into the provincial championships, which is the biggest number we have ever had."

Preparations have already been going on for the next season for Weyburn Minor Baseball.