The glare of the camera lights is nothing new for the members of the Langley All-Stars baseball team, so having their actions documented by the omnipresent video cameras should be no problem at all.
After all, the players have been in the media spotlight since the summer when they represented Canada at the Little League World Series.
The baseball players, aged 11 to 13, are scheduled to depart Langley for their trip to Uganda today (Thursday) where they will represent Canada on a humanitarian mission, the Pearl of Africa series, organized through Right To Play.
Video cameras for the documentary filmmakers as well as for Sportsnet will accompany the players as they play a series of games against the Ugandan youth.
They will also be joined by Major League Baseball players Jimmy Rollins and Derrek Lee and former player Gregg Zaun.
For the 10 players, this is the culmination of the trip’s anticipation which has been building since late October when the idea was first floated of sending the team to the African country to play their Ugandan counterparts in a game which was originally scheduled for August in Williamsport, Pa. at the Little League (11, 12 and 13-year-old) World Series.
The Ugandans were never given the opportunity to face the Langley squad after being denied entry to the U.S. due to discrepancies in their paper work.
Ruth Hoffman, a Vancouver woman with ties to Uganda, came up with the idea after watching a documentary on Ugandan baseball by New York filmmaker Jay Shapiro.
Shapiro’s Opposite Field documentary will now conclude with the Canadian kids’ visit to Uganda.
“We are all pretty excited, we get to see what it is like living over there,” said Ken Dubois, adding it has been hard to focus the last little while, especially with the extra homework the players have to complete so they don’t fall behind in their schoolwork.
The players are curious to meet their Ugandan counterparts, who have faced so much adversity, especially after working to qualify for the World Series only to see their dreams dashed.
“I am looking forward to meeting them and seeing their positive attitudes,” Dubois said.
“I am more excited than nervous,” said Nick Atkinson.
“It is going to be fun to go.
“We want to give them the chance we got when we went to the World Series because they deserve it.”
Riley Ens admitted to being a little bit nervous about the trip.
“I am looking forward to playing the game that was never played and to see what is like in Uganda,” he said.
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A bus, donated by the Charter Bus Lines of BC, carrying the players., coaches and parents will leave the George Preston Recreation Centre today (Thursday) at 3 p.m. for any fans who wish to see the team off to Vancouver International Airport.
The team’s flight leaves Vancouver at 8:30 p.m. and after landing in London and spending the night, they will depart to Uganda.
The players and their families are scheduled to return on Jan. 22.
