FORT ERIE, Ontario (BVM) — Pat Giampaolo started playing baseball when he was 7, until his last year of travel baseball when he was 16. He was then given a choice by his father, who had a locally owned and operated small business, to either play baseball or hockey because he just didn’t have the time to travel year-round between two sports.

Giampaolo would pursue hockey as his main sport, playing up to the Junior B level. He would spend three seasons with the Fort Erie Meteors, and one season with the Chippewa Riverhawks at the Junior C level.

Then, after a 10-year hiatus from the diamond, Giampaolo returned to baseball playing in the Niagara District Baseball Association (NDBA) senior men’s league. He has been a part of the Fort Erie Cannons for the past 13 years contributing as a first baseman, pitcher and designated hitter.

When Giampaolo first joined the Cannons, they were not a winning team, in fact, they were near the bottom of the standings and used to take quite the beating during games as he recalls.

“It’s been really nice being a part of the team and watching us grow, add more players and become more successful,” Giampaolo said.

Playing in the NDBA for Fort Erie, Giampaolo has had his share of individual successes. As a starting pitcher, the right-hander was once selected to play in the senior men’s league all-star game. At the plate, Giampaolo hit the walk-off home run against the Welland Chiefs in the 2017 playoffs to send the Cannons to the finals.

The team would go on to win the league that year adding the title to their list of outstanding achievements over the past decade. Since 2010, Fort Erie has won championships in the Bruno LeBlanc Memorial Tournament (2010), Senior B Ontario (2015), NDBA (2015, 2017 and 2018), Senior A Ontario (2018) and the Port Lambton Dave Leach Memorial Tournament (2019).

These accomplishments, along with perseverance, would get the Cannons inducted into the Fort Erie Hall of Fame on June 7, 2019. The Cannons have a huge following of local fans that are dedicated to attending every home game. The team’s triumphs are indicative of the strong team spirit evident at each game. Also contributing to the success of the club are its long-time general manager, Clayton Hall, along with team manager, Justin Hall.

The Fort Erie Cannons are a well-known team in the area, not only for the team’s success in the 2010s, but also their generosity in giving back to the community. They have been a part of and hosted many fundraisers and charity games to raise funds and awareness for causes like Alivia’s Rainbows and breast cancer, both of which have seen thousands of dollars raised with the combined effort from the Welland Chiefs baseball team.

When asked what Giampaolo’s plans looked like for his future with the sport, his response was, “I plan on playing with the Cannons until my body tells me I can’t. Once I am unable to compete in our league with the young guns, or my body breaks.”

For the last three years, Giampaolo has also played with another Niagara Region team, the Welland Legends. They compete locally as well as on the other side of the border in New York state as an over-35 team in the Canadian National Oldtimers Baseball Federation.

“It’s kind of my retirement plan for baseball, one game per week,” Giampaolo added.