While outdoor sports will look very different in 2020, the Lloydminster and Area Brain Injury Society is bringing back their annual slo-pitch tournament this year.
The event is slated to be a 24 team tournament, which will run for two days, September 12th and 13th at the Legion Ball Diamonds. The event, says LABIS Executive Director Michelle Neufield, is one of the society’s largest annual fundraisers. All of the proceeds raised from the games stay in the community, go right back into the LABIS’s programs.
“It’s really a social program that we have here. So people who have brain injuries get to come into our office and get to hang out with and be around people who have also sustained brain injuries, so it’s a real peer group [where they] get to be around people who know exactly what you’re going through.”
Currently, LABIS is planning the tournament, which may face the possibility of COVID-19 related gathering restrictions still being in place. Neufield says that they are hopeful the restrictions will further ease in the coming months, but they are still looking at ways to plan around it.
She adds that LABIS has felt the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the downturned economy, but aside from the financials, the event is also about the social aspects as well.
“Especially during these times, I think we all figured out how much socialization and being around others has really proved positive. Being able to get back into our organization and be around and just having that social aspect again is huge for people.”
Registration is now open for the Slo-Pitch Tournament. Players can contact the LABIS by calling or texting (306) 825-7212 to get started.