A former Sundre resident who plays fastball with Team Alberta said it felt “kind of surreal” to take home a silver medal from the U-21 Fastball Championship in Summerside, P.E.I.
“We were in third place after the round robin,” said Amy Lank, 21.
“But we came back and made it to the gold medal game.”
Team Alberta, which was essentially formed with junior players from the Edmonton Rivercity Hornets U-21 Junior fastball team, went in as the underdogs and faced some stiff competition against powerhouse teams like Quebec and Ontario, she said.
They started playing on Aug. 3 and played five straight days of fastball until Aug. 7. Team Alberta was tied at no score with Team Saskatchewan until the bottom of the final inning when Saskatchewan scored the one and only run of the game to become national champions, said a press release.
Team Alberta played three back-to-back games on the final championship day, outscoring their competition over the three games 13-1, including beating Ontario 1-0, then defending national champions Quebec 12-0 before facing Saskatchewan in the gold medal final, it said.
“It was pretty exciting,” Lank said.
The team played a total of 11 games throughout the tournament.
“It was exhausting,” she said.
“After Day 2, you didn't really feel your body anymore. You kind of forgot about the pain and just moved forward. It was our last push of the season, so everyone was still pretty motivated.”
She's been playing since childhood, when she was first introduced to T-ball in Sundre.
“Baseball's just kind of been a huge thing in my family forever. My grandpa has always been a super avid ball player and ball fan — that kind of got me into it.”
Her mom also played ball, as well as her grandparents from both sides of the family, she said.
There are a number of aspects she enjoys most about the game, including the camaraderie and bonds forged with her teammates.
“I've been with the same team for about four years now. It's an amazing group of girls — we get along real well,” she said.
The shortstop said she also relishes the competitive element of the sport.
“It's a mental game — it's such a challenge. It is mentally exhausting, so you have to be strong that way. That's what's keeping me playing.”
Whereas other sports such as basketball offer players far more chances to score, in fastball or baseball, a player only gets so many chances at bat, which means a limited opportunity to score points for the team. Also, striking out on the first time up to bat can create a mental hurdle to overcome the next time a player is back up to bat, she said.
“You got to find the focus to move beyond it (striking out or making mistakes).”
Claiming the silver medal as the underdogs felt great, she said.
“It was kind of surreal.”
Her father, who is the local RCMP detachment's Sgt. Jim Lank, said Amy has played fastball all over Canada and the U.S. over the years, including previous national championships, such as last year when she was named MVP as a shortstop.
“I couldn't be more proud of Amy and her team for their accomplishment this year,” he said.
The silver medal finish also raised a number of impressed eyebrows.
“Softball Canada announced during the medal presentations that this game and the Championship Sunday run of the Hornets were two of the greatest exhibitions of fastball in recent memory,” said Rivercity Coach Rob Campbell.
The second place finish at the national championship was a great way to wrap up her time with the team, as she will no longer be in the age category next year. But Amy seems confident that she'll find a way to keep playing, including the possibility of trying out for senior ball next year at an even more competitive level.
“I'm sure I'll keep playing — I want to keep playing this sport for the rest of my life.”
The young athlete is also pursuing an education in nutrition, and will be starting her final year of studies at the University of Saint FX in Nova Scotia for a degree in dietetic nutrition on Aug. 25. However, her first two years of university were completed in Lethbridge and Edmonton respectively.
“It made winter training sessions easier,” she said, adding that studying in Nova Scotia made it more difficult to be part of the Edmonton-based team. But at least a couple of her teammates are also pursuing their studies in Nova Scotia, which allowed them to train together.
Her long-term goals also include obtaining a degree in human kinetics, which will work hand-in-hand with her degree in nutrition towards a future career in sport nutrition.
She pointed out as a final thought that minor ball programs including fastball seem to be dying down in smaller communities, and encourages parents to consider enrolling their children on a team sooner rather than later.
“I first started playing in Sundre, and it's been the most important thing in my life.”
