When Canadian softball pitcher Danielle Lawrie hits the mound this weekend, she wonB次元官网网址檛 be thinking about whatB次元官网网址檚 on the line.
The squad is competing for a spot in next summerB次元官网网址檚 Tokyo Games at a qualifying tournament in Surrey starting on Sunday, but Lawrie insists that every player is simply focused on the next game.
B次元官网网址淩ight now itB次元官网网址檚 just one day at a time and get ready to go to war,B次元官网网址� said the right-handed veteran.
Locking up an Olympic spot would mark a big milestone for the Canadians.
Softball hasnB次元官网网址檛 been included in the Games since 2008 when Canada finished fourth in Beijing. While the sport is in for Tokyo, softball has already been nixed from the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Dwelling on that, however, would put extra pressure on the team, said Lawrie, one of three women on CanadaB次元官网网址檚 current roster who also went to the Beijing Games.
B次元官网网址淧ressureB次元官网网址檚 a privilege and we all know that. But at the end of the day, if IB次元官网网址檓 thinking about this maybe being the last Olympics for the next (eight) years, No. 1, IB次元官网网址檓 getting ahead of myself and No. 2, IB次元官网网址檓 not putting myself in a position to be present in what IB次元官网网址檓 doing,B次元官网网址� she said.
B次元官网网址淩ight now, we need to qualify and thatB次元官网网址檚 the only thing on my mind.B次元官网网址�
ItB次元官网网址檚 been a busy summer for the Canadians, and one thatB次元官网网址檚 put them in a strong position heading into the qualifiers.
The team moved to Marion, Ill., earlier this year to play in the National Professional Fastpitch league as the Canadian Wild and finished the season third with a 22-20-1 record.
In July, the squad won gold at the annual Canada Cup in Surrey and earlier this month they took home silver from the Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru after dropping a 3-1 decision to the No. 1-ranked U.S. in the gold medal matchup.
All that preparation has left the group feeling mentally and physically ready for the Olympic qualifiers, said infielder Emma Entzminger.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e put countless hours into practising, playing, repetition after repetition. And our sportB次元官网网址檚 big on reps,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址漇o I think going into this tournament weB次元官网网址檙e as prepared as we can be.B次元官网网址�
The trick now is remaining consistent, said coach Mark Smith.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e worked really hard to prepare for this particular week,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址漀ow itB次元官网网址檚 a case of not going out and really trying any harder or doing anything differently than weB次元官网网址檝e done all summer. If we can play within ourselves and do the things weB次元官网网址檙e capable of then we should be successful.B次元官网网址�
At No. 3 in the world, Canada is the top-ranked team heading into the Olympic qualifiers and is grouped with Puerto Rico (4), Cuba (17), Guatemala (18), Argentina (25) and Bahamas (39) for the preliminary round.
The other group includes Mexico (5), Brazil (14), Venezuela (16), Dominican Republic (19), Peru (20) and the British Virgin Islands (57).
The Canadians faced a number of those squads at the Pan Ams earlier this month. Each time, the team was able to preserver through a lot of tough challenges, Entzminger said.
B次元官网网址淲e have a lot of depth on this team and weB次元官网网址檝e played a lot of games this summer. And weB次元官网网址檝e kind of had to deal with a lot of failures,B次元官网网址� she said.
B次元官网网址淚 think we sent messages in the Pan Ams of who we are and what weB次元官网网址檙e here to do so I think thatB次元官网网址檚 good moving forward to this tournament.B次元官网网址�
The top two teams at the qualifying tournament will punch their tickets to Tokyo 2020.
CanadaB次元官网网址檚 chances might look good on paper but rankings donB次元官网网址檛 matter heading into an international event, Lawrie said.
B次元官网网址淎nyone can beat anyone on a given day,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淪o at the end of the day, IB次元官网网址檓 playing as though weB次元官网网址檙e the last-place team and people are coming and literally trying to beat us all the time, like we have the biggest target on our back. And thatB次元官网网址檚 how we have to play.B次元官网网址�
Team Canada will play Cuba on Sunday to kickoff the tournament.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
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