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Benchwarmers ready to play ball Team ready for competition at the Slo-Pitch National Tournament in B.C.
Shawn Giilck
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, August 1, 2013
INUVIK
The Inuvik Benchwarmers are ready to play ball with their competition over the next two weeks.
The Inuvik Benchwarmers are off to the nationals in Kelowna, B.C., this week before hosting the Women's Territorial Championships from Aug. 9 to 11. Pictured in the back row from left are Justin Simms, Rebecca Kaglik, Wilma Hendrick, Nichole McDonald, Terra McNabb, Jenn Kalinek, Stacey Christie, Lisa Burns and Shandie Tanner. In the front from left are Rose Day, Courtney Larocque, Sophie Stefure, Tina Busetto and Natasha Kulikowski. - photo courtesy of Stacey Christie
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The women's slo-pitch team is the defending NWT champions as they head off to Kelowna, B.C., for the Slo-Pitch National Tournament this week.
While it's an important event, the team is almost treating it as a tuneup for the Territorial Championships being held in Inuvik from Aug. 9 to 11.
The Slo-Pitch National Tournament runs from Aug. 2 to 5, spokesperson Stacey Christie said. Twelve players and two coaches are heading to the nationals, with three regular players unable to attend.
"We have been practising all summer long and we played one weekend of competitive games, so we feel ready to take on the teams in our division," Christie said.
"Our goal is to win some games and represent Inuvik and the NWT to the best of our abilities. If we achieve and beat those goals all the better."
As the defending NWT champions, the pressure might be on the team to perform at an elite level, Christie acknowledged, but that will be more the case at the territorial tournament.
"We have only the pressure we have applied to ourselves (at the nationals). It is a wonderful opportunity to represent our territory and hope we can make a positive impression on all the teams we play," Christie said.
"At the Inuvik tournament we have to defend our territorial title, so of course the pressure is on, and it sounds like the competition will be fierce."
Along with the pressure to perform comes the pressure to organize the territorial championships to a high standard.
"It is coming along very well," she said. "The Benchwarmers have all taken on tasks to help make it a great weekend.
"We have a tournament director, Trevor Smith, a former Inuvik Softball Association member, and resident. He will be looking after the registrations, scheduling, and making things run smoothly over the weekend. August 9 to 11 is looking like it will be a great weekend for ball in the NWT."
The Benchwarmers are relying on additional support from NWT Softball along with the Inuvik Slo-Pitch Association to stage the tournament.
"We are also fortunate to have the NWT Softball’s umpire in chief, Grant Hood, reside in Inuvik and to help with the umpire duties for this championship tournament, she said.
Christie said the Benchwarmers "first played together at the Inuvik Huskies Women’s Tournament in June of 2012.
"After winning that tournament we heard about a territorial tournament in Yellowknife," she continued. "We got the team together and travelled to Yellowknife for the August long weekend of 2012. We won that tournament, which qualified us for the Slo-pitch National in Kelowna."
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