Waving the Saskatchewan flag for Team Canada
Team Canada has a bye Wednesday at the Junior Men’s Softball World Championship for the first time since the tournament started Saturday night. They’ll celebrate the fact they’re 4-0 with a barbeque before ending their group games with Hong Kong Thursday.
The Canadian crowd can take a bit of a breather as well, as they’ve been flooding Rotary Field to see Canada play. Two Canadian players in particular have received a ton of support from the crowd, and it’s not that surprising they are the two Saskatchewan boys; Warman’s Troy Kosmynka and Shellbrook’s Ryan Smith. The two have become unofficial ambassadors of sorts for Team Canada, making the media rounds before the tournament when the Canadians held exhibition games in both Warman and Shellbrook. The fact that they’re playing on Saskatchewan soil and representing the province together is something they’ve treasured thus far.
“It’s really cool. Me and Troy have known each other for a long time,” Smith said. “We’ve played hockey together, we’ve played ball together as long as I can remember. It’s really cool to share this experience with him. I’m his roommate at the hotel, so it’s pretty cool doing this all with him.”
The tournament could have been anywhere in the world, as the 13 participating countries come from every continent except Antarctica. But for Kosmynka, he had to travel less than an hour from his Warman home to the Prince Albert grounds and said he loves having the fans on his side.