A young, aspiring local ball player recently relished earning her first-ever gold medal at a higher-level competition.
“I didn’t think we were going to get gold,” said Megan Weiss, calling the experience “surreal.”
The 13-year-old Sundre resident, who plays with the Edmonton River City Hornets, competed in the Western Canadian Softball Championship, which was held Aug. 3-6 in Alberta’s capital. The top two teams from B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba competed.
Those eight finalists were previously determined by provincial tournaments that narrowed down the best two teams from each province. The Hornets placed second in provincials and qualified for the championship, which they went on to win after playing 10 games, winning eight and only losing two, said mom Jeanette.
Perhaps most exciting was the Hornets’ victory over the squad that cost them a first-place finish in provincials, she added.
“The team they lost to in provincials to get silver, they beat in the semifinal for the western championship.”
Additionally, one of the games lost at the championship was by an exceedingly narrow margin. The match against Manitoba was tied at no score until the end, forcing the game into an overtime inning that the competition managed to win 1-0. But the Hornets later went on to avenge that defeat, sweeping Manitoba aside 7-0 in the final, she said.
Although Megan had anticipated placing among the top teams, she did not expect to take the title.
“It just felt really good,” she said.
Securing a silver medal finish was Brandon Westman Magic, from Manitoba, while Calgary Kaizen ended the championship in third place for a bronze medal.
Megan’s first introduction to the sport was the T-ball league through the Sundre Minor Ball Association, which her older sister Rachael, 16, also played in before moving on to join the Hornets.
“They grew up playing ball since they were five,” said Jeanette, who once was a Sundre Minor Ball board member.
This was Megan’s second season playing with the Hornets, a competitive A level squad, she said.
“Before that she always played softball with Sundre Minor Ball.”
Megan, who plays third base and also pitches, which she prefers, said she loves to play ball and strives to compete against herself to improve her skills on the field.
“The level I’m at now, there’s so much you can do with it."
Although Megan identified batting as perhaps her biggest challenge, her mom said she was being modest.
“She was the top batter on her team this year,” said Jeanette.
But Megan still wants to do even better, and agreed the mental aspect of the game can be a big hurdle to overcome. She said that means taking heed of her coach’s advice to “flush” away any doubts from her mind and to focus on the next play without allowing any past errors to rattle her confidence.
Throughout the championship, Megan was able to play a crucial role in multiple double plays, including once catching a pop fly and throwing to first to make the out as well as intercepting a bunt, throwing to first where her teammate made the out and threw the ball back to third for a double play.
“She was rocking third base,” said Jeanette.
Megan hopes to eventually play Division 1 college softball in the U.S. after high school.
