By Charlene Tebbutt

P.A. on the national stage

World softball event garners national sports tourism nomination

Feb 4, 2019 | 5:54 PM

The accolades keep coming following the city’s successful world softball championship event last summer, with the city announcing Monday the event was named a finalist for a national award.

The 2018 Junior Men’s World Softball Championships are in the running for a Canadian Sport Tourism PRESTIGE Award. The event is a finalist in the category of Canadian Sport Event of the Year for events with a budget of less than $1 million.

Felix Casavant, who helped organize the successful local event, said the championships boosted Prince Albert’s reputation around the world and created new opportunities for future events.

“It’s such a positive reflection on the city and what we can do as volunteers when we put our minds to it,” Casavant said Monday. “We can do anything in our small little city.”

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The world softball championships drew daily attendance numbers of more than 2,000 people, saw more than 3,000 hotel room bookings and boosted the local economy by at least $9 million. The nine-day tournament featured teams from 13 different countries in Prince Albert.

Other finalists up against Prince Albert for the national award include Saint John, N.B. and Leduc, Alta.

Casavant said it was an honour to be part of the local event.

“It shows what P.A. can do when we put our minds to it,” he said.

The PRESTIGE, or Program Recognizing Exceptional Sport Tourism Initiatives, Games & Events Awards will be handed out March 20 in Ottawa. The awards event is now in its 13^th year and will be held in conjunction with an annual sports events conference.

Jody Boulet, the city’s director of community services, said the city nominated the event for the award. Boulet will be one of the representatives from the city in Ottawa for the event next month, and said it’s also a chance to showcase Prince Albert to others who are interested in bringing their events here.

“We get an opportunity at this conference to sit down with some of the leading Canadian sport governing bodies,” Boulet added. “So, it’s the place to be to attract future events (and) it’s exciting for us to stay in touch with these key contacts in the sport tourism business.”

Casavant and fellow organizer Derek Smith were recognized with the Citizen of the Year Award for their work on the 2018 Junior Men’s World Softball Championships. They will be recognized at the annual Citizen of the Year banquet coming up on Saturday.

Organizers Kalen Kovitch and Ian Litzenberger were also recognized at the 2018 Sportsman’s Dinner for their work on the event and Project Triple Play.

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Charlene.tebbutt@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @CharleneTebbutt