It’s not an ordinary softball tournament.
Men and women dance in the bleachers to salsa music, games are played on a football field and most of the players speak Spanish.
The softball tournament is sponsored by the newly formed Virgin Gorda Sports Club, and is a precursor to a softball league for members of the Spanish-speaking community on VG, slated for early next year.
“The guys came to us to form a league, but it was to short of a time,” Tournament President Gloria Fahie said. “Most of them go away for Christmas, so we decided to do a tournament in the short space of time.”
She hopes the official league will be up and running by February.
The tournament has four teams — Angels, Halcones, Young Ballers and Island Boyz — and started on Nov. 13. Two of the teams are Spanish speaking and two are English speaking.
Despite the poor field conditions, Mr. Fahie said the tournament has been a success.
“It has been marvelous,” the tournament president said. “Everybody is having fun and enjoying the camaraderie — it is something to do on a Sunday afternoon.”
The third baseman for the Halcones said players have attempted to form a league a couple years ago, but not with much success. However, athletes from the Spanish-speaking community on Tortola continue to be play softball on a more regular basis.
“We have always have had a team [on VG], but we don’t play as regular,” Mr. Hernandez said.
Two games are played on Sundays because of the availability in players’ schedules.
“Everybody here works,” Mr. Hernandez said. “Most of us have Sundays off and we have the time to play.”
A lot of the players come from the Dominican Republic, including Mr. Hernandez said.
Games are played with a “softer” softball, however “it can hurt” if you get hit, according to Mr. Hernandez. Ultimately, he would like to see baseball being played on VG, but the proper space is not available. Currently games are played on a portion of the VG Recreation Grounds, which is used for football and other activities. In the future Ms. Fahie hopes the field will be upgraded for the benefit of the spectators and the players.
On Sunday, the Halcones were playing for a spot in the finals, which started yesterday and will continue through Dec. 11.
Ms. Fahie was keeping stats along the first base line, which was also being shared by both teams. Language hasn’t been a barrier between the teams or players. The mini-tournament served as a learning experience for players new to the game. Ms. Fahie said the Islands Boyz team consists of mostly cricket and football players.
“They came in it just for the fun of it — to learn the game,” Ms. Fahie said.
She added that the two Spanish-speaking teams are the better teams, but are helping the others to become better players.
“They are competing, but at the same time they are helping them learn the game,” Ms. Fahie said. “It is a real good mix we have every Sunday afternoon.”
