Today marks the start of a special few days for the U15 AAA Central Energy, not just because they'll be competing against some of the top teams in the country, but also because they are the host team.
Preparation
Coach Kevin Convery says the week leading up to the big tournament has been rather interesting. "It's been a bit of a challenge," he says with a slight chuckle. "Because we knew all along that we'd be going to nationals as the host, we wanted to keep the kids focused, and we had a goal throughout the entire season to try and finish top two in our province, because traditionally, the top two teams get to go to nationals. With that goal in mind, we played hard all year, and we were able to achieve that goal at provincials. The finals were in Winkler, we came up short to a good Eastman team, but we finished second in the province. It was nice to keep that focus all season long, and earn our way to nationals, that we will be hosting."
Hosting, and what makes them successful
When it comes to an area of his teams game where Convery believes can lift them above the competition, he's quick and emphatic. "When we're on our game, we're hitting the ball well," he says with a smile. "That's been the theme all season. If we're struggling to hit the ball, we don't do as well. When our bats are hot, and the kids are aggressive at the plate, and aggressive running bases, we tend to have success. It's our offense that has really been carrying us, while our defense has just been steady all season. Certainly, there's been let downs on both ends from time to time, but when our bats are hot, we're certainly able to compete with most teams in the province, and hopefully, most teams in the country."
Hosting is a huge point of pride for the community, and Convery says that the team understands that, and is just as proud to welcome everyone to town. "It's a huge honour for us to host the event. For the kids that are from the Morden and Winkler areas, these are the diamonds that they grew up playing on, so for them to come back as AAA athletes, it's special. Also, we get a game under the lights (tonight), in front of family and friends, that's a really neat experience for the girls. We were thrilled to be chosen to represent as hosts, and we just hope we do a great job on behalf of the community, showing everyone that's visiting what great communities we live in. We also want to be competitive on the diamond as well."
Away from home experiences
Convery is well aware that other teams will be all together for days, whether it's at the hotel, the diamonds, or experiencing the community, and even though they are hosts, he believes they want to provide something similar for his team. "We've already planned for that stuff, yesterday we did a practice, and we took the team out to Mr. Mikes for a team meal. The team also attended the banquet, they got all fancied up, did each others hair, they were just so excited for it. We have some parents that are camping in Winkler throughout the week, and they've actually organized a few team meals over at the camp site to keep the kids together as a group. They can enjoy that experience of being together throughout the event. We're doing our best to make it like a traditional event where you would travel as a group, and spend a lot of time together. I think we'll have a good balance of that, while also allowing them to spend time with their families throughout the week, and weekend."
Representing the Pembina Valley
Having this event, this opportunity to stand out, is something Convery says the group is well aware of, and are looking forward to making the most of it. "The coaching staff, we've talked a little about the fact that a few of the players coming to this event have represented Canada at recent World Cup event over in Italy. In our pool, we're actually going to see a team that has five players that were on that Team Canada. So, it's a nice opportunity for our players to see some of the best softball players in Canada. It's also a nice opportunity for them to see the level of play that they have to get to, if they want to make those steps in their softball careers. A lot of the players are interested in pursuing college education while playing softball, so it's a nice first step for them to be introduced to some of the people that will be watching to see if players are capable of taking that next big step to go up a level."
Under the bright lights
Playing an evening game tonight, hosting the tournament, hopefully packed stands, all things Convery says he will be taking it all in. "Personally, I'm super proud of this group, and I realize what an honour it is, and how lucky we are to be playing this game under the lights tonight. I do want the kids to recognize that this game tonight is a major achievement for them. We want them to enjoy it, we're going out to win that game tonight against a strong PEI team, but we'll take a moment to appreciate the moment, playing in front of family and friends, in our back yard. It's a special memory that that we will all appreciate, and we can reflect on after the game is finished."
Schedule
U15 AAA Central Energy have two games on Wednesday, one in the morning, 8:15 a.m. against BC3, then an evening game under the lights, 8:15 p.m. vs PEI.
On Thursday, two more games, first at 1:00 p.m. vs BC2, followed by a 5:00 p.m. contest against Alberta.
Playoffs are Saturday, with the schedule to be determined.