Ben Bradford of the Kamloops Sun Devils tried to steal second against the Red Deer Riggers at the 2014 Kamloops International Baseball Tournament. New KIBT president Dean Martin plans on making changes to the 41-year-old tournament.
Changes are coming to the Kamloops International Baseball Tournament.
The tournament, which was founded in 1973 and is entering its 41st year in 2015, is under new leadership. Dean Martin is now at the helm of the event, taking over from former president Dean Padar following KIBT’s fall AGM.
Martin brings new blood to the leadership of the tournament — which operated under Padar for nearly 20 years — and with him comes ideas. The president is a fixture in Kamloops’ baseball community and has experience with both the Kamloops Minor Baseball Association and the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack.
“There’s lots of changes that we’re starting right now,” Martin told KTW.
“It’s going to take us a couple years to implement everything.”
Among the immediate changes will be cheaper entry fees. Martin has dropped the entry cost to $500, giving teams a break from the $800 they were charged last season.
The tournament has made a continual effort to reduce entry costs at the suggestion of participating clubs — a few years ago, entry set teams back $1,400.
The tournament will also have a bigger purse in 2015, set at $20,000. First place will take home $10,000, while second will receive $6,000, third $3,000 and fourth $1,000.
Martin also plans to make use of increased advertising, introduce a new tournament website and modernize KIBT’s communication methods.
“We’re changing our approach to how we interact with the public,” he said.
“The whole tournament itself, I think, is excellent. I don’t think there’s a whole lot that needs to be improved and such. It’s more a matter of maybe modernizing a bit.”
Martin has grander plans, too. While he is proceeding with KIBT’s usual eight-team slate for the 2015 tournament, he intends to take a serious look at the viability of expansion.
Should organizers decide to grow the tourney, Martin said KIBT would look at a move to 12 teams.
Obviously, the organization will be careful with expansion.
Already it has had one confirmed team drop out for 2015.
In 2014, the tournament was played with six teams after a pair of clubs backed out at the last minute.
Getting teams to commit isn’t the only problem that come with getting bigger, either. Now held exclusively at Norbrock Stadium, a 12-team KIBT would necessitate the use of McArthur Island’s Canada Games Field, as well.
With a second park comes more costs — including rental fees and a second set of umpires for concurrent games. Canada Games isn’t an ideal venue, either, as the lack of a gate makes generating revenue difficult.
Martin said he will consider all of those factors when he looks at the tournament’s future structure.
Moving forward with eight teams this season, KIBT has already received confirmation from seven clubs — the Kamloops Sun Devils, the Langley Blaze, the Seattle Studs, the Everett Merchants, the Red Deer Riggers, Bellevue’s Northwest Honkers and Seattle’s Highline Bears.
The president said they originally had eight confirmed and even had to turn clubs away, but have since lost one of the committed teams, the Snoqualmie Valley Hurricanes.
KIBT is in the process of contacting those clubs turned away to fill out its slate.
The tournament gets underway on July 9, running until July 12.
The post New president, ideas for Kamloops International Baseball Tournament appeared first on Kamloops This Week.