Camp Information

Camps will be in Kentville at Memorial Park from July 13-15 and Yarmouth at the Hebron Recreational Complex from July 16-18.

For camp participants that are 12 and under, you will need to show up at the camp locations (information below) before 8:30am for warmup.  The camp will run from 9:00am – 11:30am in both Kentville and Yarmouth.

For camp participants that are 13 years old and up, you will need to show up at the camp locations at 12:30pm for warmup.  The camp will run from 1:00pm – 3:30pm in both Kentville and Yarmouth. You should bring appropriate baseball gear and we encourage you to bring your own helmet and bat if available.  Please make sure that your equipment is labeled with your name and phone number.

Camp Locations

We will be using multiple fields at each location and each location has the fields grouped together.  When you arrive you will see a large Duane Ward Canada Banner hung at one of the fields.  This will be the main field for the clinic.  Please sign in to the camp when you arrive.

Kentville

Memorial Park
Kentville, NS

Yarmouth

Hebron Recreational Complex
Hebron, NS

Community Events

We will be spending a lot of time on the fields with you during the camps and want to make sure you get a chance to see us off the field and that your friends and families can meet us as well.  We are holding a few events off the baseball field next week and would like to invite everyone to attend.

While in Kentville, we will be holding a community meet and greet / autograph signing at Boston Pizza in New Minas on Wednesday, July 14 from 7:00 – 9:00pm. We will also be doing a community meet and greet at Bruce GM in Middleton on Thursday, July 15 from 4:30-5:30pm at the dealership on Main Street.

While in Yarmouth, we will be holding a community meet and greet / autograph signing at Bruce Honda on Starrs Road on Friday, July 16 from 4:00-5:00pm.  On Saturday we will be holding a community meet and greet / autograph signing at Boston Pizza in Yarmouth from 7:00 – 9:00pm.??We would like to thank Bruce Auto Group and Boston Pizza for their generous contributions that help to make these camps possible and for hosting our community events.

By Michael Gorman

THE VANGUARD

NovaNewsNow.com

Duane Ward working with Players at the 2009 Duane Ward Canadian Baseball Camp in Yarmouth

The first time Duane Ward worked at a baseball camp he wasn’t sure if he was going to enjoy it.

What the two-time World Series champion and former Toronto Blue Jays closer quickly realized was that he enjoyed doing the camps more than he could have ever imagined.

“I could see the kids were enjoying it and it was helping them and for me to give back baseball-wise, it’s an easy avenue for me to do,” he said.

Ward will be back in Nova Scotia for the second year in a row to offer two baseball camps, one in Kentville for three days and then in Yarmouth July 16-18. The camp, which is open to players aged 10-15, will feature additional help from area coaches and members of the Yarmouth Dooly’s Gateways.

Ward said he views the camps as a way to educate players at the grassroots level of the game and it also gives him the chance to get his peers involved. He’ll have two of his peers with him for the camps as former Blue Jays Kelly Gruber and Lloyd Moseby will also be in town. Ward will handle the pitching component of the camp, Moseby will teach hitting and Gruber will handle the fielding clinic.

“Hopefully the kids will take something away from it that they can apply to their everyday playing,” he said, adding that there is no substitute from working with people who reached the highest level in their field.

Beyond helping young ballplayers, Ward said he enjoys the camps because it gives him the chance to see former players. Members of the old Blue Jays teams often get together for special events and charity functions, he said, adding that just last week he played in Joe Carter’s charity golf tournament in Toronto.

It’s important to keep giving back to the fans and people who helped support the players during their playing days, said Ward.

“It’s nothing but appreciation . . . for the fans who don’t forget.”

Doug Jones, who works as a representative for Louisville Slugger and helps Ward organize the camps, said registration is going well. They hope to have 150 players at the camp he said. Jones said he’s fielding calls from players all around the province who are interested in attending the camp. Registration is through Yarmouth Recreation.

All that remains at this point, said Jones, is to finalize the schedule for when Ward, Moseby and Gruber are away from the ballpark. The three will participate in the Seafest parade and several meet and greet sessions in the community.

“We want to try and get as big a bang for the buck as possible,” said Jones. “We want them to be approachable by anybody . . . I think the kids are going to just love these guys.”

Although the chance to meet three former Major Leaguers is a big deal for any young ballplayer, Ward said that effect quickly wears off as they fall into speaking the language of baseball.

“You see that twinkle in the kids’ eyes when they first see you, but when you start giving them that hands-on stuff and talking to them as a fellow baseball player, I think that’s even more important,” he said. “That’s the best stuff in the world, watching them walk away with (improved) confidence.”

“We want to go in there and try to teach them stuff. More importantly, come out, let’s have some fun and laugh and joke and along the way try to improve on our baseball skills.”

Duane Ward Canadian Baseball Camp is proud to be delivering camps throughout Canada.  At the Duane Ward Canadian Baseball Camps, our objective is to teach the three major disciplines of baseball; PITCHING, HITTING & FIELDING.

This can be achieved in a variety of ways with great effectiveness. We believe that each baseball player is unique, no two are alike and should be taught that way. Every player has different abilities, strengths, weaknesses and skill levels. In our diverse staff of former Major League players we have that same uniqueness. Our excellent staff will use this diversity to define their instructional methods in order to bring out the best in each player.

We  keep it simple, we want the kids to have fun and ensure that every participant leaves with a memorable baseball experience.

Our diverse coaching staff have extensive experience at the Major League level, our staff will use this experience to instruct the stars of tomorrow in everthing from Outfield & Infield skills, Hitting development to situation pitching. With Hitting, its more than just swinging the bat. Our accomplished staff of former Major League hitters will teach the art of situation hitting; “Hit & Run”, driving the ball the other way, even go over the “Drag Bunt” and disciplines that every hitter needs to learn.

Our staff of excellent Instructors will ensure that every participant understands the techniques and methods that are being taught. Then, this way they will be able to utilize what they have learned on the field.

The BEST and FASTEST way to learn is on the field. Our Instructors not only grew up playing the game of baseball, they made a career out of the game they love. They will pass on the kwowledge they obtained through the many years of Major League baseball to every participant. This is how you’ll be able to
“Take Your Game To The Next Level !”

Kelly Gruber to be Part of the Coaching Staff for Duane Wards Canadian Baseball Camps.

Baseball legend Kelly Gruber will be one of the coaches at the Duane Ward Canadian Baseball Camps in Nova Scotia this summer.

On April 16, 1989, Kelly Gruber was the first Blue Jay in history to hit for the cycle when he went 4 for 6 with 6 RBI and 4 runs scored. His cycle occurred in the following order: home run, double, triple, and single. He was told to stop at first for his single even though a double was easily attainable. Kelly had his best season in 1990, hitting .274 with 31 HRs, 118 RBIs and 14 SBs, winning Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards and ending up fourth in MVP balloting that year.

Lloyd Moseby to Join Duane Wards Canadian Baseball Camps.

Baseball legend Lloyd Moseby will be one of the coaches at the Duane Ward Canadian Baseball Camps in Nova Scotia this summer.

Drafted 2nd overall by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1978 amateur draft, Moseby made his major league debut on May 24, 1980. Despite some growing pains early in his career, Moseby developed into a well-polished batter, fielder and base-runner, knocking in nearly 100 runs on several occasions and regularly stealing 30-plus bases.

In the mid-80s he was part of a powerful outfield trio for the Jays, playing center field between George Bell and Jesse Barfield. After the 1989 season, Moseby signed with the Detroit Tigers. Moseby saw limited time with the Tigers for two seasons, and then traveled to Japan, where he played with the Yomiuri Giants for 1992 and 1993.

Over his career, Moseby had 869 runs, 169 HRs, 737 RBIs, 280 SBs while batting .257. He was an All-Star in 1986.

Moseby served as the Blue Jays’ first base coach in 1998 and 1999.