Funtastic Slo Pitch Tournament returns – Okanagan


After a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the Funtastic Slo Pitch Tournament & Music Festival in Vernon is making a return.

From June 30 to July 3 there will be 112 teams from all over Canada and the U.S. competing in one of North America’s largest slo-pitch tournaments. Each team requires five men and five women on the field, and there are over 4,500 players registered.

According to the Funtastic Sports Society president, it took a valiant effort from everyone involved to ensure the tournament would play on.

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“There was a ton of work by our board, and you know I can’t say enough about the hard work that they put into this event, but this event would be nothing without our volunteers,” said Jamie Austin, Funtastic Sports Society president.

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“I mean you look around here and all you see is yellow shirts everywhere and that’s 100 per cent volunteer hours. We could not have this event we could not make this event function without the volunteers.”

The tournament attracts a variety of different skill levels — from the more serious to those who just want to dress up and have fun. One man from Calgary playing in the competition for the first time says he couldn’t be happier about spending a weekend with friends out on the field.

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“Our teams been around for a little while. I’m the new one to the team but they’ve been waiting to get back to this tournament for a long time,” said Tristan Wright.

“They’ve been really excited to get out and play ball so it’s just a good time to vacation, get team bonding and stuff in and just have some fun trying to win some baseball games.”

Then there are others like Diana Kelly and her family who are playing for so much more than just wins. This is her 10th year playing in the tournament, and her and her team are dedicating this weekend to her late father.

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“He passed away this year from cancer, so I just wanted to have a little tribute this year to him, so we made these shirts for him, and he loved to come watch the family try their hand at ball, so it’s always been quite enjoyable for all of us,” described Kelly.

The tournament wraps up on Sunday with two teams from each division competing for a championship.

For a schedule of events, check out the Funtastic website.



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