Twins baseball tourney name returned

The Glacier Twins biggest summer baseball tournament will once again be known as the Sapa-Johnsrud Memorial.

The Twins board voted May 13 to revert back to the event’s original title after a heated meeting where Sapa and Johnsrud family members and friends expressed their disappointment in a recent decision to change the tournament name.

The tournament began in 1985 to honor the memories of past Twins players Ray Johnsrud and Jimmy Sapa, who were killed the year before in a car-train accident at a railroad crossing in Columbia Falls.

After 28 years of calling the summer tournament the Sapa-Johnsrud Memorial, the board decided this year to rename it the Glacier Twins Memorial as a way to recognize other former players and program supporters who have passed.

Sapa and Johnsrud family members first learned of the name change after reading about it in the April 3 Whitefish Pilot. Dirk Johnsrud said he was “saddened” and “in disbelief” that no one from the Twins board reached out to the families to discuss the idea.

He told the board Monday that he’s never heard of a memorial tournament changing its name.

“I’m here to support my cousin and Jimmy,” he said, as his voice cracked with emotion.

Columbia Falls resident and baseball supporter Connie Jimmerson told the board the name change had created a lot of deep-seeded hard feelings.

“It breaks my heart to see [those names] go,” she said.

Connie’s husband Dan Jimmerson said he remembers the tragic day in 1985 the boys died.

“I don’t see why you can’t keep the name and memorialize the others in another way,” Dan said. “Don’t take that name away.”

Former Twins coach Julio Delgado scolded the board for their decision.

“These were two kids that were members of our family — the Glacier Twins — who died while representing the Glacier Twins one day before going to the state tournament.”

“You have history here of kids that were just awesome kids, and who deserve to be memorialized forever.”

Twins board member Kevin Slaybaugh noted that one of the reasons they decided to change the name was to get more families involved with the tournament.

The tournament was once considered one of the elite baseball events in the region. As many as 15 teams from all over the Pacific Northwest, Canada and California would play in Whitefish and Columbia Falls. In recent years, however, the event has struggled to draw teams. Last year just five clubs attended.

“We need more help,” Slaybaugh pleaded.

“All we care about is baseball. Our goal is to build this program back into what it should be.”

The board voted later in the meeting to return the Sapa-Johnsrud name to the tournament.