Berwick's sports history had slow beginning

Back around 1910, sports began to become more organized in the village of Berwick.

The arrival of Dr. W. T. M. McKinnon and merchants F. A. Savage and H. D. Rood, with their keen interest in sports and ability to organize baseball and hockey teams, led to the foundation of the Berwick Amateur Athletic Association.

Under the leadership of the B.A.A.A., badly needed facilities for baseball and hockey were acquired at Riverside Park and the Woodworth open air rink. Berwick then joined the baseball and hockey leagues operating in the area.

The B.A.A.A. provided sports equipment and uniforms for the baseball and hockey teams. Team colours were blue and white. Players for their teams, as well as coaches and manager, were recruited by the B.A.A.A.

Over the years, every effort was made to give the white and blue a winning team but, by 1929, not one league championship was won by a team from Berwick. The team seemed destined to maintain these losing traditions for years to come.

In individual sports, Charles Caldwell and Harold Robinson were doing very well in track meets in Western Nova Scotia. The popular competitors were often invited to events, where their expenses were paid by the promoters.

On one such occasion, they went to Middleton by train, arriving in time for Harold's bicycle race, which he won, and he received a set of Dunlop tires and a coaster brake for a bicycle.

As Charlie's event came along, he lined up with a chap named Potter from Middleton and a broad-shouldered runner from New Glasgow. The official in charge of the meet laid down the rules: run 100 yards, eat a very dry doughnut attached to a string without touching it with the hands. Charles reached the doughnut first and, had be been wise, he would have moistened his mouth before starting, but he lost valuable seconds as the dry doughnut stuck in his throat. Potter came up and finished his before Charles could get his down and, to made matters worse, the big man from New Glasgow did the same. Charles finally finished the doughnut and took off after the other two. They now had to run 100 yards back to the starting line -and crawl through a barrel on the way. Potter and Charles got through easily, but the New Glasgow chap got stuck and was disqualified. First place and a new pair of skates, which Charles needed, went to Potter and the music stand went to Charles Caldwell. Not to be done out of his skates, Charles sold the music stand to a member of the Berwick Brass Band for $2.50 and purchased a new pair of skates.