image0 copy Canadian Little League Championships

Press Release

April 30, 2020

Re: 2020 Canadian Little League Championships

It is with profound disappointment and sadness, but with no degree of surprise given the world in which we are all currently living, that I am writing to announce that the 2020 Canadian Little

League Championships, which were to be hosted by Layritz Little League this August, have now been officially cancelled by Little League International due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

I am sure we can all agree that this decision was absolutely necessary and did not come with any real degree of surprise. That being said, for the prospective young players hoping to be involved in this tournament, that reality is likely lost in this moment, which is completely fair and understandable. We were all 12 years old at one time.

For myself, I am, of course, sad and disappointed for the young Little League baseball players from across the country, as well as within our own league, who had aspirations of taking to the field at Layritz Park in August with the dream of winning and advancing to the “Big Show” in Williamsport, Pennsylvania -the Little League World Series, a tournament which has also sadly been sidelined for 2020.

I would like to acknowledge the numerous sponsors who stepped up to the plate in support of our park hosting this tournament. I will be forever grateful to each and every business that got on board with this venture. We will, of course, be reaching out to those entities over the next few weeks with respect to their sponsorships.

I would also like to acknowledge and sincerely thank the 2020 Canadian Championships Board of Directors for their time and energy expended in the huge task of planning this tournament. I

feel extremely fortunate that I had so many competent individuals focusing their attention on the various individual “pieces of the puzzle” which, in turn, allowed me to expend my own energies on the tournament as a whole. I have no doubt that those collective efforts would have resulted in an amazing experience for all who attended our park in August, whether players, coaches, parents or local baseball fans. Memories would certainly have been made to last a lifetime.

Last, but certainly not least, at this time, I wish to acknowledge Dave Potter, the Layritz All-Star team Manager who has been working tirelessly, devoting countless hours of his own time over the past three and a half years to a group of boys fighting each season to make our All-Star team, with the ultimate goal of being named to the 2020 11-12 All Star Team which would have represented our park in August.

Dave’s younger son graduated from our park in 2011, however, Dave remained at Layritz for the subsequent eight seasons coaching during each regular season, All-Star season and the “off seasons”, with his own ultimate goal being to manage a team to a home soil victory at the Canadian Little League Championships, wrapping up his coaching career with a Little League World Series experience.

Sadly, this dream will not come to fruition for Dave this August but his time and efforts, as well as those of coaches Randy Hess and Brad Weinmeyer deserve huge accolades.

It is my sincere hope that Little League Baseball and Softball will return in its entirety, across the globe, for the 2021 season.

Until then, stay safe everyone.

Sincerely,

Shannon Nakatsu

Tournament Chair

2020 Canadian Little League Baseball Championships