They came. They saw. They enjoyed quite a warm Saturday and endured a very chilly Sunday. They conquered.
The Saints – a competitive slo-pitch team comprising Yellowknife, Behchokǫ̀ and Alberta-based women – became champions of their category at the Alberta Open in Leduc last weekend.
The players say they are the first in NWT history to remain undefeated for the entire tournament en route to gold.
“This win is a huge step as we head toward nationals later this summer. We’re not just showing up, we’re one of the top teams to watch this year,” said Dana Gard Sweeney.
Shandie Laborde described the tournament as a tale of two temperatures.
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“On Saturday it was quite warm, especially for the girls in the North that left with snow on the ground. We were wearing shorts and tank-tops and it was actually quite difficult for us to deal with the heat, because we’re just not used to that yet, not acclimatized,” Laborde told Afternoons at the Cabin.
“Then it was the polar opposite on Sunday, blistering cold and quite windy.”
Laborde acknowledged that this shift might have helped some of the northerners in the group.
“We might have had a competitive advantage there, for sure,” she said.
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“We were lucky enough to be able to use the Arcan training facility to get some practice in for the girls up north,” said Alexis Campbell, referring to a recently opened indoor Yellowknife facility.
“The girls down south were a little luckier and had some snow-free days so they were able to train, but we definitely put in some practice before the tournament up here.”
Team sponsors include Adam Dental Clinic, Larga Kitikmeot, Kuffert Consulting, Wired Mechanical, Wahkohtowin Sports Circle Foundation, AF Enterprises, AC Construction and Wesclean.
The Leduc tournament was seen as a chance to build momentum ahead of a tilt at nationals in August – which will also be held in Leduc.
“We’re actually quite lucky. It makes travelling to four out-of-town tournaments in the summer a lot more feasible for us,” said Laborde, explaining the attraction of back-to-back events in the Edmonton suburbs.
“This is a great opportunity for us, for all of our players, to make it. This team has just grown over the last two years to try to really be competitive and win games, win titles and keep getting better. We take it very seriously.”
“We hope to do really well there,” said Campbell.
“This is quick plays. This is lots of hard running, home run hitting. It’s a lot different than what you see up here.”
Before nationals, Saints will host their own showcase night at Yellowknife’s Tommy Forrest Ballpark on June 30.
The event, in conjunction with the men’s fastball league and Yellowknife Minor Ball, will feature a skills competition, a home run derby and a game.
