Slo-pitch action at the Funtastic 2022 tourney (photo by Liam Verster / Vernon Matters)

By Liam Verster

Over 120 Teams

Funtastic not full, but still above previous year

Jun 23, 2023 | 6:00 AM

The Vernon Funtastic slo-pitch tournament is not at capacity, but will still see a lot of ball players hit the diamonds.

“Registration is up from last year, which is an absolute blessing for us. We’re happy to see the people come back again,” Jamie Austin, president of the Funtastic Sports Society, told Vernon Matters.

“We’re not at full capacity but we’re close to full capacity.”

Austin was on the road and didn’t have exact figures in front of him, but estimated 128 teams had registered for next weekend’s tourney, up from 108 in 2022.

Funtastic has since confirmed with Vernon Matters that 128 teams had registered “but a couple have dropped out.”

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In past years they were able to get a full slate of 160 teams out for the tournament, but Austin speculated they lost teams from people finding new activities post-COVID. He also noted there are other tournaments going during the Canada Day long weekend that teams who played in Funtastic previously may be playing in this year instead.

Though registration remains down from pre-pandemic figures, Austin remains positive about the number of participants, adding it is making it simpler to organize games and minimize the fields they need.

“The nice part about what we have now is everything is up at the DND Grounds and we’re not spread through town, so that’s a positive to us to have everyone in the same area,” Austin said.

“Grahame [Park] is out and Alexis Park is out and the Kin [Race Track] fields are now gone regardless, so it’s nice to have the whole event in one location.”

He added the number of participants this year still shows that people want Funtastic to go ahead so they have a chance to play in a positive atmosphere.

Also while speaking with Vernon Matters, Austin said he is very excited for the music festival portion of Funtastic.

“Personally, I am very excited for Saturday night. I think Tyler Joe Miller is going to be absolutely fantastic, Kadooh is a great band, the Dirt Road Kings are always good,” Austin said.

He also said they will have a special giveaway for the Sunday show.

“If you wear pink and you’re in the beer garden you have a chance to win two floor passes to see P!nk in October in Vancouver with two night’s accommodation at the Hampton hotel,” Austin told Vernon Matters.

“That’s our Sunday promotion and we hope we get a lot of people out there and wearing pink Sunday night.”

As he was in his vehicle, Austin did not have figures for how many tickets had already been sold for the concerts. Funtastic has since confirmed roughly 1,000 tickets have been sold, and that they expect to “see a surge this week.”

Registration for the slo-pitch tourney is closed, but tickets for the music festival are available online and will also be sold at the gate.

The Funtastic Slo-Pitch Tournament will run from Friday, June 30, to Monday, July 3.

The music festival will go nightly Friday, Saturday and Sunday that weekend.