Thunder Buffaloes (originally known as Amesbury Thunder) played their first tournament on June 29, 1991. The young kids, from a small community in North York, Ontario, Canada, first learned of Slo-Pitch from the tournament listings in the newspaper. Thinking that their youthful athleticism would make this sport a breeze against beer belly men, and the additive that there were cash awards, the team decided to join and rule the sport of Slo-Pitch. Contrary to the young team’s belief, we were placed in the lowest division, and warned the convenor to “better put our name on the cheque now!” The young boys quickly learned that experience is a player’s best asset and the team had none! Needless to say…the first year did not produce a victory.
Setting aside their un-triumphant start, the love of the game brought them back. Not until 1993, did Thunder have its first taste of success, qualifying for the SPN (Slo-Pitch National) Provincials. Niagara Falls became the start of a tradition and highlight of everyone’s summer.
The team saw its first tournament victory in 1996. Thunder had made it over this hurdle and now was grouped among the teams that can win any given weekend.
Over the years, Thunder continued to grow and develop; sometimes taking a couple of steps backwards for a leap forward. Qualifying for the Provincials became routine; not concerned with if the team will qualify, but rather when the team will qualify. In 1999, the team took a step in improving by joining the CSPL (Centennial Slo-Pitch League). The results were immediate as we learned to compete with teams that at one time were “out of our league”.
Y2K brought in a new decade and a new challenge for Thunder. The team decided to expand their horizons and break their monogamous relationship with SPN. We decided to compete in both the SPN and SPO (Slo-Pitch Ontario) Provincials.
Today’s Thunder Buffaloes continue to grow and show no indication of slowing down. New faces on the team brought new attitude. To welcome this attitude we adopted a second name...N.Y. Sting.
Playing time continued to pile on in 2003. We again topped the number of games we played - highly due to our success. Success climaxed as we went undefeated in taking home the SPO Provincial Championship.
Throughout the history of this team, rivalries were created... Aces Wild, Bullets, Screaming Squid, Seahawks, Slammin’, Spectrum, and Denial to name a few. On the flip side, most of these rivalries created friendships and at times still teach us a thing or two about the game.
Since our inaugaral season, Thunder saw many opponents come and go. We as a team saw many changes too, starting with the young boys from North York becoming young men from Toronto. Players have come and gone, but all have left their imprint in Thunder’s history. Sure the team changed since 1991, but the love for the game remains!
