North Vancouver fastpitch star Derek Mayson is about to embark on the biggest summer of his already illustrious career with World Championship and Pan Am Games glory up for grabs.
The Canadian national team player, born and raised in Lynn Valley, is one of the country’s top hitters and pitchers in the windmill sport that was once booming all across Canada but has now become more of a niche pursuit. The way Mayson tells it, however, he didn’t have much choice in the matter when it came time to choose what sport he was going to play. Older brothers Scott and Brian both played fastpitch while parents Ken and Janet were heavily involved too.
“My parents tell me the story of being in the Baby Bjorn when I was 10 days old while both my parents were coaching my brothers,” he says. “I’ve literally grown up at the ballpark.”
And when they weren’t at an actual ballpark the Mayson boys made-do with the next best thing.
“I kind of built my own infield into our front lawn,” Derek says with a laugh. “For a number of years there my parents got used to having batters boxes and pitching circles and basepaths worn into the frontyard in what I called the Frontyard Baseball Association. . . . There were a few broken windows over the years but nothing that couldn’t be replaced. It seems to have paid off in the long run.”
Mayson, now 31, made his national team debut at the age of 22 and this summer will compete in his second Men’s Softball World Championship running June 26 to July 5 in Saskatoon, Sask.
“It’s a feeling that never gets old,” Mayson said of playing with a Maple Leaf on his jersey. “Just recently we got our uniforms for the upcoming tournament. Getting pictures and taking a look in the mirror — it’s such a proud feeling to look back on all the hard work and sacrifices that have gone in to getting to that level. It makes it totally worthwhile to know you’re representing such a great country.”
The last time Mayson suited up for a World Championship was 2009 when the team finished third. That tournament was also held in Saskatoon.
“People kind of chuckle — ‘A world championship in Saskatoon? Poor you.’ — but it was an amazing experience,” he says. “They’re great hosts, it’s the right size of town to host an event like this. We were playing in front of crowds of 7,000 or 8,000 people, playing Canada vs. U.S. It doesn’t get any better than that in our sport.”
Mayson’s super summer will be topped off by an appearance with Team Canada at the Pan Am Games scheduled for July 10-26 in Toronto. It’s the first time the sport has been included in the Pan Am Games program since 2003.
“To get to walk into the opening ceremonies and be part of the athlete’s village, it’ll be a memory of a lifetime,” Mayson says, adding that the team has been gearing up over the past several years knowing that these two huge events would be held on home soil this summer.
“We’re headed there to re-stake Canada’s claim as the top team in the world,” he says. “We know we have the talent. This group has been kind of forming over the last several events. We’ve learned some tough lessons on the last couple of occasions but all of it has made us stronger.”
Local fastpitch fans will get a sneak preview of this summer’s big events during the Lower Mainland Fastball League’s annual Vancouver Challenge tournament scheduled for June 19-21 at South Memorial Park. The tournament will include Mayson’s club team, the Vancouver Meralomas, as well as the defending world champion New Zealand Black Sox, the country’s national team.
“Some of the top ballplayers in the world will be there,” Mayson says.
Mayson will do a lot of pitching for his club team and will play a lot of third base with some first base and pitching for the national team. The sport presents unique challenges, he says.
“You’re facing pitching from 46 feet, upwards of mid-80s miles per hour at the highest level with rise balls, drop balls, curve balls and off-speed. It’s a challenge every time you go out there.”
The pitching side is no picnic either, however the motion is more natural than baseball’s overhand delivery, he says.
“It comes down to being able to spot the ball where I want to put it and making it move and change speeds. When you get up into the highest level, facing the top hitters in the world, it doesn’t really matter how fast you throw — if you throw it over the plate or it’s not moving, they’re going to turn it around in a hurry.”
Mayson also plays for a travelling team in California that competes in the International Softball Congress. The sport may not boast the fame and dollars of Major League baseball but it has taken Mayson all over the world, including stops in Mexico and Argentina and season-long stints in New Zealand and Australia.
“There’s a great camaraderie and great community in the sport — you kind of remove the politics when you’re not chasing after the million-dollar contracts of the major leagues,” he says. “It truly is an international game — I have friends all around the world to prove it. I wouldn’t trade the slim chance of getting to the major leagues for what I’ve been able to experience. I wouldn’t trade it at all.”
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Visit vancouverchallenge.net for more information and full schedules for the June 19-21 Vancouver Challenge.
