Mounties Succumb to Pressure to Change Name!.....April Fool!
Posted April 1, 2013
In 1999 the Midget AAA coaching staff of Joe Strasser, Bob McWilliams, Sonny Sengara and Todd Mundle decided to name their team the Vancouver Mounties. They developed the logo and have been in possession of it ever since.
After the 2006 season, Strasser and McWillams retired from coaching while Sengara, Mundle and The Pawlicks moved over to Midget AA awaiting their next season move to Bantam AAA. The Mounties name and logo moved with them to Midget AA and in 2008 the name became synonymous with Bantam AAA when the coaching staff of Sonny Sengara, Todd Mundle, Ted Pawlick, Teddy Pawlick and John Russell took over the reins of the Bantam AAA program for VCB. Prior to 2008, Bantam AAA at VCB teams had a variety of names including MudDogs, Braves, Monarchs, Canadians and Hitmen to name just a few.
In 2009 VCB tried to get everyone to change to the Association logo of VC. At that time all the VC teams switched to that logo but for the Bantam AAA Mounties who kept their distinctive VM Logo. In years following some of the other VCB teams switched to their own version of a VM hat.
The Mounties name and logo have been associated with Sengara and Mundle since 1999 and with the Pawlicks since 2004. It is as much their team name as it is a VCB team name.
There is precedence in Bantam AAA for more than one team to have the same team moniker. Just this past year two teams used Spurs as their team name and two teams this year will be using Eagles as their team name. Both these teams used colours of red and black to distinguish themselves. This did not seem to pose a problem for anybody. There is also a precedent for two different organizations in the Bantam AAA league using the same name; Ladner and Richmond both used the name Red Sox for their teams in 2008. At that time when Richmond's Manager Alex Klenman complained to Bantam AAA Chair Kyle Williams it was explained that there were no BC Minor rules stipulating that teams could not have the same name.
In fact there are many teams under BC Minor's umbrella who use the same team moniker: Tsawwassen, Okanagan and Port Alberni have all shared the Athletics name; Comox Valley and Poco share the Cardinals name. So when the Mounties coachescontinued to use the Mountie name they certainly thought that it would not be a problem having one team callled the VCB Mouonties and the other VMB Mounties. Even more perplexing is that the there is no Bantam AAA team west of Fraser Street this year and yet there have been attempts to stop the Mounties coaching staff from using the name that has been synonymous with them for 15 years.
This season an inquiry was made by BC Minor to VMB President Mary McCann that VMB consider another name for their Bantam AAA Team. This request stated that "Vancouver Community has concern over this as they have carried and registered this name of their teams over the past seventeen (17) years." An erroneous statement as the Mountie name has only been used for 15 years and has never been an exclusive name for all of Community's rep teams.
VMB supported the Mounties coaching staff and allowed them to use the name this year but continued problems occurred when ordering Mounties paraphernalia from suppliers. Volunteers were questioned and hassled on who had the rights to the name.
Because of all this sturm and drang and despite the thousands of dollarsof costs it will take, the coaching staff has decided to forgo 15 years of connected history and start fresh with a new name and uniforms which will be unveiled at their home opener vs North Island Royals on April 13th at beautiful Nanaimo Park. Stay tuned.
APRIL FOOLS HOAX!
Thanks to everyone that called and emailed us with your support, but the news of the Vancouver Mounties changing their name was just an April Fools Hoax! The Mounties will always be the Mounties and the Mountie Nation will continue to grow each and every year.
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