The Blue Jays Baseball Academy will be travelling to Alberta on July 12, giving kids in the Cochrane and Airdrie area an opportunity to hone their baseball skills. 

The Academy will be coming to Cochrane to offer a four-hour training clinic for beginner baseball players aged 8-13 in partnership with Cochrane Minor Ball.  

Michelle O’How, the Operations and Administration Coordinator for Cochrane Ball said that the camp reached out in early spring.

"[They] were travelling in the Calgary area and asked if we would be willing to host an instructional clinic in one of our facilities here in Cochrane and we just couldn’t say no."

O’How states that the Clinic is open not just for baseball players, but that everyone is encouraged to give it a try.   

For O’How it's not just the skills that the kids will learn, it's promoting the game of baseball in the community. 

“It’s something that I hold very near and dear to my heart as long as we can allow youth in the community to play the game, that’s all that really matters to me."

Kids that register will cover a variety of different skills such as, infield, outfield, hitting, throwing, agility, and baserunning. Registrants will also take part in a Baseball Athletic Training Station which will help aspiring young athletes learn the fundamental athletic movements for baseball.  

These Instructional Clinics are led by Blue Jays Baseball Academy Instructors who are National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) registered coaches.  

There will be roughly 100 spots available and participants will receive a Blue Jays hat, t-shirt, and digital baseball skills manual. 

O’How describes this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the kids.

"You never know who’s going to be here. You never know who's going to be instructing and just be able to learn the “Blue Jays way.”

The clinic will take place at the Cochrane Rodeo Grounds south diamond from 10 A.M.. to 2 P.M. July 12. 

To learn more or sign up, visit mlb.com/bluejays/community/baseball-academy. 

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