Volunteer award for Jamieson
Stephanie Taylor, Special to the Review
Published on
May 09, 2008
Freelton resident Frank Jamieson is a good sport. And now everybody knows it.
The City of Hamilton awarded Jamieson the Ray Lewis Athlete Community Service Award at the 22nd Annual City of Hamilton Sport Volunteer Appreciation Dinner at the Hamilton Convention Centre. The event, held April 17, presented awards to Hamilton residents who have given generously to ensure that local sports programs remain available to all those who want to play.
This was Jamieson's first time at the award ceremony and he was surprised by the size of the function, which was attended by about 900 people. The event included a dinner and featured keynote speakers throughout the evening.
Jamieson has been an avid athlete for years, but it is the 83-year-old's volunteering and leadership in local sport teams that really set him apart.
"I was not just playing sports," he explained in a recent interview with the Review. "I was involved in hockey, and I was a founding member of the Flamborough Minor Hockey Association and a president.
"I was also involved in badminton," he added with a chuckle.
Jamieson played badminton for years at Marian Hall, and supervised the adults' and children's teams.
He is also involved with the Freelton Recreation Sub-Committee, which he has been associated with for more than four decades, having served many years as its chairman.
One of his proudest accomplishments is the ice rink he built at Centennial Park for children to play on.
"For about 20 years we have had a set of boards we store and put up every year, then flood the rink," he explained.
But Jamieson's biggest love is softball. He is a past president of the Ontario Rural Softball Association; once his presidency came to a finish he became a director, a title he has held since 1986.
Jamieson has played ball since he joined the Air Force in Quebec. He never had the opportunity to play ball when he was a child, he said, because there were no organized sport teams. But once he found a team to play with, he has been involved in the game ever since.
Jamieson has played and coached minor ball for 40 years, the first team being the Midgets in 1956. His coaching has ranged from T-Ball through Junior, and he presently coaches the Freelton Old-Timers team, part of the Flamborough Orthodox Fastball League that is comprised of 12 teams. The League was formed in 1978.
The Old-Timers team, made up of 16 players who are 35 years old and up, don't spend too much time on the field practicing. With their busy adult lives and games sometimes being played two nights a week, extra practices wouldn't leave much time for anything else, noted Jamieson.
The team has three practices scheduled before its opening game against Copetown on May 22, and one more might be called before their championship game in September.
For Jamieson, one of the most rewarding aspects of playing ball is keeping fit while enjoying the game and the people on the field.
"Being fit enough to be able to play is a reward for me," he told the Review. "Just enjoying the game and the fellas. After the game we discuss what happened, and what we are going to do the next game.
"After the game is over, we usually have a few ales," he added.
Although Jamieson still loves to play and coach the game, he admits he's a little disappointed in the direction the game has been taking in recent years.
"Softball isn't the great game it was years ago," he said. "We used to have 13 minor teams in Freelton, and this year we have seven and maybe last year we had five. Soccer is the game now that seems to be taking over from softball, which is unfortunate in my view. Softball you can play all your life. I'm 83 and I just quit playing. Soccer, how often do you see soccer teams, just the odd ones, [with players] in their 20s? Most of the kids quit playing soccer when they are 15 or 16.
"With softball you can play all your life. I guess you could with soccer too, if there was an organization that furthered the game as the kids got older."
Jamieson has decided to retire from playing for the team this year, but will keep himself busy coaching his two sons on the Freelton team.
"They both play on the Freelton team, and I have enjoyed coaching them since they first started in T-Ball," he said.
He will also continue putting up the ice rink for the children each year.
At 83 years old, Frank Jamieson is a shining inspiration to all those who share a love of sports and a desire to get involved in the community. With all his years of coaching, playing and volunteering, he is truly a team player.