Alberta baseball trailblazer and Okotoks Dawgs Hall of Famer Clint Fystro passed away in May 2018, but his legacy is living on through the CK Foundation and Training Foundation in Okotoks, Alta. Photo: Okotoks Dawgs

December 5, 2019

By Jonathan Hodgson

Canadian Baseball Network

The legacy of youth baseball development left by Alberta baseball pioneer Clinton Kenneth Fystro (Peace River, Alta.) is continuing on through the establishment of the Clinton Kenneth Foundation and The Training Foundation in Okotoks, Alta..

Clint Fystro was respected across baseball circles in Canada, devoting much of his life to serving and building amateur baseball in Alberta through different roles in many different places over the course of his life in baseball. His contributions to the game included tenures as president of Baseball Alberta, and the Western Canadian Baseball Association. He was also the general manager for Team Alberta at the 1999 Canada Games.

For his service, Fystro received the President’s Award in 1981 for outstanding service to Baseball Alberta.

Fystro relocated to St. Albert, Alta., becoming a prominent figure in the Edmonton-area baseball scene, and in 2003, joined the Okotoks Dawgs board of directors when the club expanded to include a summer-collegiate Western Canadian Baseball League team to compliment its high-performance youth development program established in 1995. Fystro was vital in helping the organization develop key business partnerships.

In 2016, Fystro was recognized by Baseball Canada as Volunteer of the year, and in 2017, was inducted into the Okotoks Dawgs Hall of Fame.

All three of Fystro’s sons caught their father’s passion for baseball, and found success playing and coaching the game.

- AJ played and later coached at Merced College (CA) before coaching five seasons with the Dawgs and winning three WCBL titles; 2004 as an assistant, and 2008-09 as head coach. He was also head coach at the University of Calgary for five years and has coached at Tournament 12.

- Doug played college ball at Southern Utah University and has more than 30 years coaching experience including at Alan Hancock College (CA) as well as Team Alberta, Canada Cup, and was named Aurora Baseball Association Coach of the Year in 1995.

- Bob played at Alan Hancock College and Cal State San Bernardino before coaching at the high school and collegiate levels as well as Team Canada. He also was a part time scout for the Dodgers and Pirates for 12 years.

When Clint passed away in May of 2018 at the age of 72, following a two-year battle with cancer, his family including his wife of 50 years, Wendy, and his three sons knew that something needed to be done to continue his legacy by continuing to positively impact the lives and opportunities of young baseball players in Alberta.

“The idea of honouring my father and carrying on his memory was discussed between my brothers and my mom after he had passed,” said AJ Fystro (Okotoks, Alta.), founder and lead instructor of The Training Foundation. “There were different ways of doing this that we had come up with that we felt would be appropriate, and The Training Foundation and CK Foundation was one of them.”

The Fystro family formed The Clinton Kenneth “CK” Foundation with the intention of facilitating the hosting of athletic development camps to help youth pursue their athletic dreams. The application of this, operating under the CK Foundation umbrella, is The Training Foundation, based in Okotoks, Alta., which hosts a variety of camps for young athletes to aid in their developmental years.

Camps are offered for infield and hitting, arm care and shoulder maintenance (baseball and softball), as well as strength training. Camps are co-ed, and are divided into age group (10-12 or 13-16). Each camp consists of eight 75-minute sessions led by AJ Fystro. Private and semi-private sessions take place at the Training Foundation studio, and group sessions are held at Private Sector personal fitness facility, both located in Okotoks, AB.

“What I think we do very well though is work with kids of all abilities and stages of life, doing as our motto states; building athletes from the ground up,” said Fystro. “Whether it is teaching children in the early developmental years basic foundation and movement patterns, or youth athletes looking to strengthen their frame because of the stress on the body from growth or demand they are putting on their bodies, to finally the player looking for the competitive edge and wants to commit to an off-season with as much focus given to in-season training,” he said.

Fystro says that his focus for Training Foundation camps is to create a positive environment for youth to learn both physically and mentally, and building character and a foundation for a healthy lifestyle through learning new movement patterns and pushing your body to its limits.

“Our focus with those we work with is also to change a growing mindset,” Fystro said. “Instead of there being reasons why something is not possible or how you don't have the time, we focus on our initial thought becoming ‘how can I make it work’, and ‘what am I willing to sacrifice to make the time”, he said.

Fystro also manages merchandise sales for the online apparel shop at trainingfoundation.ca, which features a selection of clothing items available for purchase that display CK Foundation’s symbolic logo.

“The logo just came to me one morning as I was sketching some stuff on a piece of paper,” said Fystro. “It's only fitting that the ‘C’ and the ‘K’ come together to create a home plate for the love my father had for the game of baseball, with the ‘C’ also representing my father's fight against cancer, and the backwards K also representing how we will assist in the efforts to strike out cancer,” he said.

“The comments and feedback I have received regarding the logo are heartwarming,” Fystro said. “My father’s legacy is being honoured with every person wearing the logo and our family is extremely grateful for all the support,” he said.

Ten percent of all Training Foundation camp registration fees as well as $5 from each merchandise purchase and one hundred percent of all donations go directly into the Clinton Kenneth Foundation which will enable The Training Foundation to continue to aid in the development of youth athletes through these camps.

Donations can be made via e-transfer to ajfystro@gmail.com.

Fystro says his father was always a proponent of opening doors for young people through the vehicle of athletics.

“My father believed in giving kids the opportunity to pursue their passion and work towards their dreams,” Fystro remembered. “That is exactly what he and my mom did for myself and my brothers by exposing us to the highest level of competition as well as putting us in front of the best coaches in the country. My father was an advocate for allowing kids to play where ever they choose and against restricting kids with boundaries,” he said.

Partners of The Training Foundation include Mind Gym For Athletes mental training program developed by Bob Fystro.

Just like when he first caught his father’s love for the game, Fystro says he now shares a similar heart as his father to give back.

“I was fortunate to be surrounded by so many great coaches and minds throughout my journey that it would be disrespectful to not give back in some way,” he explained. “Whether it be something small like coaching my son’s 9U team or taking on something bigger like Training Foundation, its all about trying to help impact young lives in a positive way,” he said.

There was no more avid supporter of youth baseball in Alberta than Clint Fystro, and his physical presence is deeply missed in all of the different baseball families that he touched and was a part of. The establishment of the Clinton Kenneth Foundation and The Training Foundation is a most fitting way to continue his legacy to positively impact the next generation, and to keep his memory in the front of our minds and in our conversations.

Fystro's legacy lives on in Alberta Training Foundation