Kamloops NorthPaws in search of billet families for upcoming baseball season

KAMLOOPS — On June 6, the Kamloops NorthPaws will open up the home portion of the West Coast League baseball season at Norbrock Stadium against the Portland Pickles.

After the game, the players will head back to the homes of local families where they’re billeted — often in search of some supper.

“Just always having something so they could eat something quick and easy, warm it up in the microwave when they got home from a game,” billet Donna Lineker explains. “They’d get home at 10:30, 11:00 at night and be starving.”

The team is looking to add eight additional billet families for the upcoming season. There aren’t too many requirements that billet families are expected to fulfill.

“We just want them to have a safe, happy and kind of comfortable environment to be themselves in, and really become a part of the family,” NorthPaws GM Jenna Forter explains. “We have a lot of returning billets from last year, and they built a lot of lifelong friendships with not only the players but with the players’ families and other billets, as well.”

For Lineker, who raised two athletes of her own, opening her home to these ball players turned into a memorable experience for her and her family.

“You create a lifelong bond with these kids, who may go on to play professional sports,” Lineker says. “You become connected with their families. They’re super responsible, respectful kids. They just want to be here and have fun and play ball. And being part of the team, because as a family member, you feel like you’re part of the team. It’s a great experience.”

That connection to the community is just what the NorthPaws want. There are also some perks to becoming a billet parent for the summer.

“We give you season passes, so that’s really cool,” Forter says. “We do have grocery stipends, and then this year, we’re really trying to get the billet families involved with each other to really have a good community going.”

The NorthPaws roster is made up of college-eligible athletes who are chasing their dreams of playing professional baseball. Many of them are from all over North America, so giving the players a place in Kamloops that feels like home is important for the success of the team.

“Baseball is their job — it’s their life, really,” Lineker explains. “They’re either at the field or at the gym. They’re home early. They’re not out partying or things like that. They’re committed to playing ball.”

If you’re interested in becoming a billet for the NorthPaws this summer, you can reach out to the team via email to start the application process. The team hopes to have all homestay opportunities in place before May 24.