Jessica Lusk and Avalon Grass have been teammates many times over the years as theyB次元官网网址檝e moved up the ranks with the Langford Lightning in girls fastpitch softball.
Lusk, 16 and Grass, 17, played together this past season on the Vancouver Island Impact under-18A travel team and are united once again on the Canada Futures Collegiate Showcase team. The fellow Belmont secondary Grade 12s leave next week for a competitive trip that will see them travel to Seattle, then head south to Georgia and Alabama, where theyB次元官网网址檒l play 10 games against junior college and NAIA-level ((National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) teams.
The goal is to give the players not only a chance to play a high level of ball and get a taste of post-secondary life B次元官网网址� theyB次元官网网址檒l bus it from college to college like old-time barnstormers B次元官网网址� but perform in front of scouts and coaches who recruit for college teams in the U.S.
B次元官网网址淲e donB次元官网网址檛 get much opportunity living on the Island to see scouts and university coaches and all that,B次元官网网址� said Lusk, who is primarily a pitcher but also plays shortstop and third base. B次元官网网址淕oing over to the Mainland and playing B.C. (rep) teams B次元官网网址� B.C. is known for U-18 softball B次元官网网址� so itB次元官网网址檚 hard competing with them, but weB次元官网网址檙e up there. IB次元官网网址檓 excited just to see some new faces.B次元官网网址�
Jacquelyn Novak, who coached the girls with the Impact and is in her first year as an assistant coach with the Futures team, said theyB次元官网网址檝e shown a real commitment and dedication to getting better, through attending regular weekend practices on the mainland and working out together at home. As such, they have demonstrated a level of coachability that any team or coach would welcome, she added.
B次元官网网址淭he excellence is in the details. To get up to a certain level requires a certain amount of discipline, but to push past that it takes real dedication,B次元官网网址� she said.
Lusk and Grass, who plays right field, first base and catcher, took part in the Beyond the White Lines Academy in August and were invited to join the Futures team along with 34 other players from across Western Canada.
While thereB次元官网网址檚 been back and forth trips to the mainland for training, the opportunity to go on a major road trip like this one is exciting, Grass said.
B次元官网网址淢y teams have never travelled a lot, and with (the Impact) we went so many places with each other and got so much closer as a team,B次元官网网址� she said.
B次元官网网址淭he opportunity to go somewhere with a team of girls B次元官网网址� I only know a couple of them but weB次元官网网址檝e really bonded well together B次元官网网址� itB次元官网网址檚 like one big family.B次元官网网址�
To gain more higher-level playing time, the Impact played in the Victoria-Saanich WomenB次元官网网址檚 Softball Association at Hyacinth Park. While it proved to be a tough go in their first season, Lusk said, the young squad B次元官网网址渄efinitely improved towards the end of the year.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淭hat was fun, playing experienced ball players and meeting new girls,B次元官网网址� she added.
Novak said the games against college teams will be a good test for the young Canadians.
B次元官网网址淚t does give them an opportunity that not every player gets,B次元官网网址� she said.
One stop on the busy tour will see them take in a practice at Auburn University in Alabama, home of the 2015 NCAA No. 3-ranked Tigers womenB次元官网网址檚 softball team. B次元官网网址淛ust the exposure to the coaching styles and the rigour and the dedication that the college athletes show sets a good example for the athletes that do choose to (pursue a college career).B次元官网网址�
Sharing the softball load B次元官网网址� As a way to defray the $2,000 individual cost of the U.S. trip, Lusk and Grass have set up a fundraiser page at . Anyone wishing to assist them in achieving their goal can donate on that site.
editor@goldstreamgazette.com
