Bold move to senior level pays off for Rebels
from the Orleans Star
Members of the Orléans Rebels should clear some additional space in their trophy cases when they add their new Senior Women Canadian Fastpitch Championship bronze medal.
Not only was the tournament, held Aug. 12-16 in Kitchener, the team’s debut at the senior nationals, but the team took on players with much more experience, including a few Olympians.
“We peaked at the right moment, and everything seemed to click when we were playing the game,” said Rebels pitcher Jill Taylor.
Last year, the team competed in the junior national championship, for women 23 years old and younger. They finished with a record of 4-4 and did not medal.
“We didn’t know what to expect. We played the defending champs on the first day,” Taylor recalled of last year’s mediocre tournament. “We didn’t come in (to the game) thinking we could win, and we got killed.”
During the off-season, when two Rebels players turned 24, the entire team made the bold decision to step into the senior ranks and compete against the best in Canada. The decision was supposed to be part of a long-term plan, with medals coming after a few years’ experience at the senior level. Apparently, the Rebels underestimated themselves.
“(Winning bronze) wasn’t even our goal for this year,” Taylor said. “Our goal (for) next summer (was) to medal, and the summer after, to win.”
Rebels coach Scott Searle said the team didn’t squeak into the semi-finals by accident.
“We played all the tough teams,” he said.
The Rebels finished the preliminary portion of the tournament with a record of 4-2 including wins over the 2008 champion Manitoba Smittys, and teams from Calgary, Port Perry, and Calahoo.
The Rebels lost 3-0 in the preliminaries to the Kitchener Krush – whose roster includes four athletes on the Canadian national team – the eventual gold medallists.
The team then defeated Saskatoon 2-0 to guarantee themselves a medal. They settled for bronze after a heart-breaking 1-0 loss to the Smittys, the same team they had beaten earlier.
While many teams hailed from Western Canada and Southern Ontario, the Rebels had to represent all of Eastern Ontario, a lamentable fact of life for these Ottawa-area players.
“Growing up in Ottawa our athletes are at a huge disadvantage because they’re never exposed to that top-tier ball,” Searle noted. “The best (fastpitch) is played in Toronto. “We only get down there three or four times a year for tournaments, whereas most of the team are playing (against top-tier competition) three of four times a week.”
With bronze medals in hand, the Rebels have no excuses for next year. Both Searle and Taylor expect the team’s roster to stay largely in tact for the next few seasons, and next summer, the team should know its own strength.
“We’re pretty excited that everyone seems to be in for next year,” Taylor said. “It just shows what we can accomplish if we stick together.”
Members of the Orléans Rebels should clear some additional space in their trophy cases when they add their new Senior Women Canadian Fastpitch Championship bronze medal.
Not only was the tournament, held Aug. 12-16 in Kitchener, the team’s debut at the senior nationals, but the team took on players with much more experience, including a few Olympians.
“We peaked at the right moment, and everything seemed to click when we were playing the game,” said Rebels pitcher Jill Taylor.
Last year, the team competed in the junior national championship, for women 23 years old and younger. They finished with a record of 4-4 and did not medal.
“We didn’t know what to expect. We played the defending champs on the first day,” Taylor recalled of last year’s mediocre tournament. “We didn’t come in (to the game) thinking we could win, and we got killed.”
During the off-season, when two Rebels players turned 24, the entire team made the bold decision to step into the senior ranks and compete against the best in Canada. The decision was supposed to be part of a long-term plan, with medals coming after a few years’ experience at the senior level. Apparently, the Rebels underestimated themselves.
“(Winning bronze) wasn’t even our goal for this year,” Taylor said. “Our goal (for) next summer (was) to medal, and the summer after, to win.”
Rebels coach Scott Searle said the team didn’t squeak into the semi-finals by accident.
“We played all the tough teams,” he said.
The Rebels finished the preliminary portion of the tournament with a record of 4-2 including wins over the 2008 champion Manitoba Smittys, and teams from Calgary, Port Perry, and Calahoo.
The Rebels lost 3-0 in the preliminaries to the Kitchener Krush – whose roster includes four athletes on the Canadian national team – the eventual gold medallists.
The team then defeated Saskatoon 2-0 to guarantee themselves a medal. They settled for bronze after a heart-breaking 1-0 loss to the Smittys, the same team they had beaten earlier.
While many teams hailed from Western Canada and Southern Ontario, the Rebels had to represent all of Eastern Ontario, a lamentable fact of life for these Ottawa-area players.
“Growing up in Ottawa our athletes are at a huge disadvantage because they’re never exposed to that top-tier ball,” Searle noted. “The best (fastpitch) is played in Toronto. “We only get down there three or four times a year for tournaments, whereas most of the team are playing (against top-tier competition) three of four times a week.”
With bronze medals in hand, the Rebels have no excuses for next year. Both Searle and Taylor expect the team’s roster to stay largely in tact for the next few seasons, and next summer, the team should know its own strength.
“We’re pretty excited that everyone seems to be in for next year,” Taylor said. “It just shows what we can accomplish if we stick together.”
posted by fitzroyfastball | 8/26/2009 09:23:00 pm
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