Trout Lake Little League is located in John Hendry Park, 2295 East 15th Avenue in Vancouver. The League boasts three excellent playing diamonds, a modern clubhouse building with concession stand and washroom facilities, and a batting cage.
Trout Lake Little League was formed in 1953 as the Vancouver Optimist Club by then President Larry Krangle. The name was changed in 1958 to East Vancouver Optimists Club. The league was known by this name until 1982 when it was renamed Trout Lake Little League by then President Brenda Brayfield.
In 1983 District Six consisted of Trout Lake, Longshoremen, South Vancouver, Victoria Drive, Killarney, Hastings, Renfrew, and Sunrise. Today District Six consists of Trout Lake, Hastings, South Vancouver, and New Westminster. Our boundaries have changed slightly over the years with the amalgamation or separation of the various associations. There have been 23 presidents since Trout Lake’s inception.
The first annual Don Sheard Tournament was held April 7 to 10, 1988, and has continued to be a warm-up to the start of Trout Lake’s baseball season to this day. In 1989 Trout Lake introduced the pitching machine and the tradition of the May long weekend memorial tournament. This memorial tournament commemorates the passing of those players, volunteers, and supporters who have been such an important part of our league and who remain with us in our hearts.
HISTORY
The Brayfield Award was first introduced in 1987 in honour of Roger and Brenda Brayfield for their outstanding service. This award is given to the team that most exemplifies sportsmanship, dedication, and effort. We still honour this tradition.
Fundraising for our wonderful clubhouse was started in 1991 and the building was completed in 1997. For those who are new to the league, words can not adequately describe how grand it is to have a working toilet for the league; we don’t miss the aroma that came from the old outhouses between diamonds 1 and 2.
Approval was given to Trout Lake by the Parks Board to be allowed to erect a batting cage in 1994. Trout Lake was one of the first associations in District Six to build a batting cage, and there was an involved process with the residents in the area to approve the specifications on the cage. Trout Lake was also fortunate in 1995 to be allowed to build a third diamond to house the Challenger Division. Led by Bob Campbell’s dedication and commitment, youths aged 5 to 18 with a variety of mental and physical disabilities were able to play baseball. We are thrilled to announce that Challenger returned to Trout Lake in 2011.
In 2011, Trout Lake hosted the 9/10 Year Old B.C. Provincial Tournament. Teams came from around the province for a week of baseball and a great time was had by all. Many thanks go to the dedicated board members, volunteers and parents who made the tournament a success. Trout Lake Little League has truly come a long way from its beginnings in 1953. Throughout the years one thing has stayed the same: the league has been run entirely by volunteers. As one past president used to say: “Little League baseball is a true family sport and we need our whole family to run it.”
