Guest blog by Mike Henschel, Flaman Fitness, Saskatoon . . . .
Summertime in Saskatoon is a wonderful opportunity to see the city's beauty with the river banks, gorgeous parks and bike trails all over. One outdoor activity I enjoy is hitting the diamond. There's nothing like tying up my ball shoes on the bench, look up and see the shale infield surrounded by the freshly trimmed emerald-green, grass outfields protected by a fence that acts like a goal for so many. Baseball and slo-pitch have been staple summer sports in my life for 30 years (plus a few) and at 38 years old, I enjoy them just as much as I did when I had sported braces with the elastics snapping every 3 innings.
The biggest difference I notice from then to now is my recovery time, I believe it was about 3 seconds in high school?? Now I have to make sure I'm stretching before and after with a Progression band or some type of aid, oh and foam rolling is a God send.
I love the game but what I love the most is the community it develops. And I'm not talking about just my team, the whole ball community is a wonderful thing. Hitting up the grocery store and running into the opposition, instead of ramming their cart with yours, you greet them with a smile and ask how they are doing and start up a quick conversation about how the umpire was so against them last game or how they tossed you out at home in the last match-up. "So, are you guys heading to Leduc August long for NSA's? We are and are staying at the … we should get everyone together and head out for a bite after the game."
And then there is the core, the team, battling together all summer to compete but … mainly to create more memories for post-game beverages(aka story time) that every team shares in some form or another. Not only is ball a summertime sport that helps you stay somewhat active, but it's very healthy for your mind and spirit. I love sharing the ups and the downs with my team on the field and then being able to laugh at stories that were told 100 times before … but are still as funny then as they are now. Summers in Saskatoon will always have a special place in my heart because of all the friendships I have made through the physical activity of ball.