Prince George, B.C. – The co-chair of the World Baseball Challenge,  Jim Swanson,  is starting a new chapter  in his life.

Swanson  ( in photo at right) has been selected to be the new  Vice President and General Manager of  baseball’s Victoria’s  Harbourcats in the West Coast  League .

The team  has just completed it’s first year, and  racked up  a win loss record of 22 and 32.  It also  developed a solid fan base, with  average attendance at their home  diamond of Royal Athletic Park  topping the 1,400 mark.

“I am  joining a team that is  in a strong position, with a great  deal of potential” says  Swanson.

Swanson has been active in  the sports  scene in Prince George, both as a  dedicated sports writer for the local daily paper, then as a key player  in the three World Baseball Challenges   which brought some of the best   ball teams in the world to Prince George for a bi-annual  tournament.

“You know there were a lot of people who thought the World Baseball Challenge was me and Shawn Rice,  and that’s not the case.  There are 35 people who  are extremely  dedicated and competent who will continue on  with the World Baseball Challenge.  That may be one of the most difficult  things for me, is to say goodbye to  those fantastic people.”

In Prince George since 1997, Swanson says  it won’t be easy to  leave this  city, “The community has been very good to us, and my employer, Telus, has been great to  me and my family.”

The move won’t just see him  returning to the sport he loves,   it  will also provide an opportunity for him to renew  friendships with some of his former  newspaper colleagues  as  Bob McKenzie and Dave Paulson  are  already there, as  is a best friend  from  school.

Swanson  will  wrap up his employment  with Telus at the end of this month,  and start with the  HarbourCats on December 1st,  “There is no time to waste” says Swanson “I’ve got a lot of work to do.”