That sound was a big part of Bruce Bouck’s life. In Schalmont, that sound and his memory live on every spring with the Bruce A. Bouck Memorial Baseball Tournament.

Bouck was a Schalmont physical education teacher and coach for over 25 years. As his widow, Cindy, remembers, "He liked teaching, but he loved coaching."

Bouck coached football from 1963-1974 and basketball from 1963-1982, but his most enduring passion was baseball, which he coached from 1963-1989. His career as a baseball coach earned him 300 victories, a sectional championship, and the title of Capital District Baseball Coach of the Year in 1977. His sudden death in 1989 – just before his HS varsity baseball team took the field – was shocking for many.

Craig Sargent, a retired Schalmont Middle School teacher, became very close with Bouck because they carpooled to work for several years. "He was a wonderful coach, teacher and father," said Sargent, who described him as someone with "old-school" values who believed in the value of sacrifice on the athletic field as well as at home. "He was a true professional in all regards."

In 1989, Sargent and other members of the Schalmont community formed the Bruce Bouck Memorial Committee. They established the previously mentioned memorial display case with a donation from Lee’s Trophies, a memorial scholarship fund to help Schalmont student-athletes pay for college, and a memorial baseball tournament in his honor.

The 17th Annual Bruce Bouck Memorial Tournament will be held on Saturday, May 10, beginning at 10 a.m. at Schalmont High School, 1 Sabre Dr.

MS teacher Robert Anderson once played for Bouck, and he now coaches the Varsity Baseball Team. "With the renovation of our athletic fields, it’s the perfect time to rededicate the baseball diamond in Bruce’s honor," said Anderson, who organized this year’s tournament.

It will include two rounds of baseball games between the four participating high schools (Schalmont, Bishop Gibbons, Cobleskill-Richmondville, and Scotia-Glenville); a field rededication ceremony with members of the Bouck family and the sectional champion 1978 Varsity Baseball Team; and activities to help raise funds for a new backstop.

Chris Amorosi was a member of the Section II Class B Champion 1978 Varsity Baseball Team. He remembers Bruce Bouck as a fair coach who demanded respect.

"We practiced very hard, but when it was time to have fun, we had fun," said Amorosi.

His son, Joe Amorosi, is in 10th grade at Schalmont High School. Last year, Joe joined the Varsity Baseball Team as a pitcher and took part in the 2007 sectional competitions.

The elder Amorosi, who also was a pitcher in high school, said, "I’ve worked with Joey and his brother, Christopher, since they were little kids starting out with a wiffle ball. Probably a lot of things that I was teaching them came from my experiences. I’m sure a lot of Bruce Bouck’s wisdom came out."

Joe likes that he and his dad have faced similar challenges in baseball and have also found success. He said, "It really shows that all the work – preseason, postseason and in practices – pays off."

It’s been a long time since Coach Bouck walked the halls and fields of Schalmont, but his memory lives on in the hardworking, winning spirit he still inspires.