‘Driving the bus’: Ken VanSickle honored by Greater Spokane League as driving force behind slowpitch renaissance

On Tuesday, the 14 schools in the Greater Spokane League that play slowpitch softball in the fall gathered at Merkel Sports Complex for the league’s annual rivalry night under the lights. Nearly 200 female athletes played in front of family, friends, fans and classmates to participate in varsity competition.

None of it would have been possible without the efforts of Ken VanSickle.

VanSickle, the now-retired longtime University High School athletic director and GSL director, was inducted into the state athletic director’s hall of fame in the spring. Tuesday was an opportunity for the league that he participated in as an athlete, coach and administrator to publicly honor him at an event that will now bear his name.

The “Kenny V Classic” is a fitting tribute to the administrator who was instrumental in bringing the sport back to the varsity level in the state.

After fastpitch replaced slowpitch as an official sport in the spring, the sport remained dormant for many years until VanSickle brought it back as a club sport in the GSL for a way to get more female athletes involved in fall sports. Others quickly followed suit, and the new fall sport spread throughout the state.

“It just started off as kind of a rec league thing,” VanSickle said.

GSL fall slowpitch started with the five city schools, joined in quick succession by the Spokane Valley programs and the Mead district schools. Mt. Spokane coach Carl Adams has been around since the Wildcats joined the league.

“My gosh. Ken – I can’t say enough good things about what he what he’s done for softball in our league,” Adams said. “When I came in as a coach, he was ‘The Guy.’ He was ‘The guy’ for many, many years. I’m so, so appreciative everything he’s ever done for our league.”

After several seasons of growth around the state, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association sanctioned the sport and a state tournament. By then, U-Hi and Central Valley started a rivalry game in which the schools would bring in portable lights and play a night game.

The event at Merkel, started a couple of years ago, became a natural expansion of the event that VanSickle helped create at U-Hi.

“I think we’re really unique in that we have a great league,” VanSickle said. “I’ve been very fortunate to work with great coaches and athletic directors that made this happen. At the time I might have been driving the bus, but I had a bunch of people on the bus that were supporting and wanting to do it. I let go of the wheel, and people have just taken off with it.”

The success of slowpitch across the state has become a big part of VanSickle’s legacy.

“You stick around long enough, you do the job long enough, things that happen,” he said of his hall of fame induction. “When (people) think about slowpitch, they think about me. I don’t want to say this in my legacy, because a lot of people made it happen. But I’m really proud of this, and what it’s become.”

U-Hi Athletic Director Brandon Deyarmin had the privilege of introducing VanSickle at the hall of fame ceremony and Tuesday night.

“Kenny’s a mentor to me, and kind of like a father figure,” Deyarmin said. “I was able to recognize him now twice within the calendar year. Doing this tonight is just icing on the cake. He’s so deserving, and what he’s done for the sport of softball in general has been pretty incredible.”

The event – with all of the league’s teams playing on the same night, at the same venue, under the lights – is one of the league’s unique marquee events.

“Look at how many people are here,” Deyarmin said. “I mean, I couldn’t even find a parking spot out there. … I just thought to myself, ‘Man, has this come a long ways?’ I think the league has done just a tremendous job of showcasing the girls and this event.”

Deer Park joined the GSL as a 2A school this year and automatically wanted to participate in slowpitch. Coach Dana Shaw said most of his team is made up of players without previous varsity softball experience.

“I only have one varsity starter from my fastpitch team,” he said. “The rest of (the fastpitch team) stayed with their fall sports, and I was encouraged to do that when we got the program approved, because they didn’t want me pillaging the other programs. … It’s an opportunity for more kids to play that weren’t otherwise playing fall sports.”

He was surprised at the number of people attending.

“I love it,” he said.

“I talked to a mom coming in. She’s like, ‘This is the most people I’ve seen here at one of these things.’ ”