George Boychuk has played some sort of baseball game all of his life.  Baseball as a kid, fastball as a young adult, and finally, slow pitch in his later years.  When the present Oliver Legion team was being formed in 1995, George was asked to join the team as a player and as a coach.  For the past 17 years, he and his wife Marie, have played every summer, twice weekly, from May to September, and George has been the coach for most of those games.  There have been a number of highlights during this time, including the winning of the A event on more than one occasion.  And last week, at the season ending tournament in Summerland, the Oliver team won all 6 games to capture the B event.

The final game was tied after regular time and necessitated an extra inning – an exciting way to end his 17th year as coach, and an exciting way to step down from the team.  In recognition of his long and dedicated service, the other charter member of the 1995 team who still plays, Jim Cade, gave George the red National Slow Pitch team hoodie that he had won the day before in a draw.  A touching moment shared by players and their spouses at a wind up dinner.  And then, for the 5th time, Jim Cade retired as well.  Good luck to all three of you, and we hope you all reconsider by next spring.

Photos and story contributed