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Revised - The crack of a bat on a ball is being heard around Whitehorse again.

Whitehorse Minor Softball started this week. The Whitehorse Coed Slopitch League is scheduled to open May 24.

The Star talked to outgoing Softball Yukon executive director George Arcand, who has been at the helm for around 40 years. This is his last trip around the bases for Softball Yukon.

The organization held a meet-and-greet recently at the Yukon Inn banquet room to kick off the new season.

鈥淭he meet-and-greet is held every year to invite the players to come and talk about the upcoming season, what we鈥檝e been planning over the winter, listen to them as well and give a few prizes away and everybody kind of kicked the dust off from the winter and say hi to guys you haven鈥檛 seen all winter. It鈥檚 just a really neat way we鈥檝e found to bring a couple other people out to talk about the coming ball season,鈥� explained Arcand.

Despite this being his last season, it鈥檚 business as usual for Arcand.

鈥淚t鈥檚 like every other season I had to go through. Trying to find people and getting the buildings cleaned and serviceable and at the same time getting the lawns done.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been down to Robert Service and cleaned that up and now we鈥檙e going across the road. It鈥檚 just a multitude of things that happen every spring when you try to open up ballparks.鈥�

Regarding his retirement, Arcand said, 鈥淚鈥檓 so busy usually during the day that I don鈥檛 really have time to think about it. It鈥檚 coming, but it鈥檚 sort of quite a bit down the road yet.鈥�

This season follows a couple of chaotic ones.

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 do anything in 2020,鈥� recalled Arcand. 鈥淲e shut down completely.

鈥淚n 鈥�21, we had kind of a partial season in the sense that we had to do pods and all kinds of things COVID-related, which was OK. But then we had Grad cause a lot of COVID shutdown and so we lost four or five weeks because of that in the middle of the season.

鈥淚t was OK, for those guys who did get a chance to get out to the ball field, it was good but they鈥檙e muchly looking forward to this season, from everything I can see, to having a full roster.鈥�

Arcand said it鈥檚 important to have an interruption-free season this year, but 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think anyone鈥檚 going to commit hari-kari if it doesn鈥檛 happen but it鈥檚 important for the state of mind.

鈥淚 think everybody鈥檚 trying to find the new normal and if this one can be something that helps that along, then that鈥檚 great, and at this point, the league is planned,鈥� said Arcand.

鈥淭here鈥檚 500-plus kids playing and there鈥檒l be 700 or eight or 900 adults. All the registrations aren鈥檛 in yet. We鈥檙e still going through that. So it鈥檒l be good.

鈥淚 think it will be great for the psyche in the sense of being able to do some things that were kind of normal in 2019,鈥� he added.

There are roughly 41 teams in the co-ed league and about eight teams in men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 slopitch, as well as about 40 kids鈥� teams. Those numbers are right around the same as in 2019, before the pandemic.

Arcand said there are no notable changes this year.

鈥淣o. We鈥檙e just trying to make it work. Dustball鈥檚 back, and we鈥檙e hosting a National Championship at the end of July.鈥�

The Dustball tourney will be welcomed back with open arms by the softball community.

鈥淚t鈥檚 on the website for people who are interested, so it鈥檚 gonna happen,鈥� stated Arcand.

鈥淭hey just have to go to the website and they can register.鈥�

The National Championship will have men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 slo-pitch teams.

鈥淚鈥檓 guessing that we鈥檙e gonna hopefully see eight or 10 teams fly in and eight or so teams of Yukoners playing,鈥� related Arcand.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a bit of a unique year,鈥� he added.

鈥淲e鈥檙e a month behind, so the snow, the continuous rain, the cold weather is not helping.

鈥淏ut we鈥檙e trying to find our way through it and hopefully if we get the fields dry and ready to use, then maybe it will get better as we go through the summer.鈥�

As for his impending retirement, Arcand explained why now is the time to hang up his cleats.

鈥淚鈥檓 done. I鈥檝e had enough. Time to retire. Let other folks carry on. I鈥檓 looking to get the hell out of snow country. The last two years is ridiculous, so if that鈥檚 what the future holds, then I can retire in warmer climates.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 75 years old. If I don鈥檛 do something now, then I鈥檒l be dead and still doing this job.

鈥淚鈥檇 rather spend some time with my son and his family. He lives in Comox and it just made sense.鈥� Arcand is planning on buying a house in Comox.

He said the slo-pitch league is only a small part of what Softball Yukon runs.

鈥淲e鈥檝e got all the minor kids and all the ballparks we look after and all that kind of stuff,鈥� said Arcand.

Needless to say, there are some memories that stand out for Arcand.

鈥淕etting the Pepsi complex built. We opened it in 鈥�83 and we鈥檝e been working on it ever since. The facility has brought us the ability to do national championships, world championships, etc.,鈥� said Arcand.

鈥淭he memories all come because of the complex. If we didn鈥檛 have the complex, we wouldn鈥檛 be able to do any of those things,鈥� he added.

When asked if he considers the Pepsi Softball Centre his legacy, Arcand responded 鈥淚 guess if there鈥檚 any such thing as a legacy 鈥� I鈥檓 pleased and proud that I had a part in it, so whenever I leave, I leave, but hopefully those that come after me look after it.鈥�

Not surprisingly, Arcand has seen some changes in his time.

鈥淭he ball has been there all along,鈥� said Arcand.

鈥淚t isn鈥檛 always fast-pitch, slo-pitch 鈥� the game has changed and slo-pitch came along and so in my time, when I started, there was only fast-pitch. In that time that I鈥檝e been around, it鈥檚 changed to slo-pitch and 鈥� co-ed slo-pitch, men鈥檚 and women鈥檚, it鈥檚 kind of taken the place of fast-pitch 鈥� not really played in Whitehorse anymore but still played in Dawson (City).鈥�

As for his plans for the future 鈥淚 seriously have no idea,鈥� asserted Arcand.

鈥淚 get to the point where I鈥檓 actually on the road or however I get there and I鈥檒l figure it out when I get there.鈥�

There is no timeline on when Arcand will be moving.

鈥淚 said I would stay and we鈥檒l do this season and 鈥� it鈥檚 our first year back after COVID in any sense of normal, so there鈥檚 lots going on and hopefully it all comes together.鈥�