Brooks Washenfelder was born in Yorkton in 1969. He started playing baseball at the age of eight and continued playing throughout the minor league age divisions. He was dedicated and worked diligently to develop his baseball skills.
Washenfelde played second base most of the time but also was an excellent fielder with a great glove and greater instincts on how to field a ball. He was a top batter with an average of around .400. This made a difference in winning many games. He was a skilled player knowing and playing “the right way.”
This talented young player was a member of the 1984 Yorkton Cardinals bantam provincial champions when the Cardinals got a big RBI double from Washenfelder, which was described as the turning point in the game, erasing a 5-3 Weyburn lead into a17-5 Yorkton victory. The team went undefeated in this championship.
In the 1987 first Yorkton provincial juvenile title ever, Washenfelde pitched and played second base, going for four with three RBIs. The team played flawless baseball in a 15-0 win over the Wawota Pats to capture the title.
In 1988, the Bisons [19 and under] championships were held before a hometown crowd at Jubilee Park in Yorkton. Washenfelder scored twice in a very exciting 10th inning Bison title win for Yorkton.
Also, in 1988 Washenfelde was one of seven of nine Yorkton starters picked as the best players in their positions for the tournament earning them a berth in the nationals in Dartmouth, N.S. Coach of the team, Keith Washenfelder, was awarded “best coach” of the tournament.
Again in 1989, Washenfelde played in the two winning games with the Yorkton Junior Anavets by driving in several runs and scoring a number of runs winning the fourth provincial championship for the team.
In 2012, Washenfelde was a member of the Yorkton Orioles denior baseball team that competed and won the tournament in the Hudson Bay Twilite 35+ Baseball Tournament.
Linus Westburg [a broadcaster in Yorkton], states in a letter of support for Washenfelde’s nomination, that he has known Washenfelde for more than 30 years, and “experienced the spirit and excitement Washenfelder brought to the games. He willingly helped younger players; consoling fellow players and offering encouragement. He was a true sportsman. In 1988 when the Yorkton Anavets qualified for the nationals, Washenfelder was a key member of that team. Washenfelder never looked for recognition and always did the best he could for his team in the great game of baseball.”
Washenfelde played in five consecutive baseball championship teams, was bench boss for his son’s youth teams for several years and ran several baseball instructional camps.
Washenfelde obtained a degree in education, married his wife, Jackie, and raised three children. Brooks and Jackie continue to live in Yorkton.
