Base women gear up for regional slo pitch
14 Wing Greenwood’s women’s slo pitch team coach, Warrant Officer Amanda Jardine, is happy to see the women’s regional championship take place alongside the men’s team once again for this year’s Atlantic slo pitch regionals at 12 Wing Shearwater, July 22 to 26.
“I’m pretty excited – I’m just excited for the regionals in general. It’s just such a positive vibe to get out with other people that like sports culture and, this year, we get to play at the same time as the men’s team, which we haven’t been able to do in a year-and-a-half. I’m looking forward to it.”
For Jardine, the opportunity to spectate and cheer on her fellow 14 Wing athletes is an important part of the tournament; why she is looking forward to both teams competing at the same event. Jardine is joined on the team this summer by four other returning players, as well as eight new team members – some playing softball for the very first time.
“I think softball is one of the most inclusive sports we have on base,” says Jardine, who is happy to see new, interested players join the sport. “It’s not expensive, it doesn’t take a lot of equipment, and also we can work with all levels of athleticism. If you’re new to sports, or if you play other sports, the transition is easy, and teaching some things to new players is relatively easy.”
Since returning to the coaching role, Jardine has been helping the new players prepare for this year’s championship and is hopeful the team will continue to build their skills together, beyond this year’s regionals.
“I think everyone’s really excited, and almost everyone’s relatively new to the sport,” she says. “We’re hoping we can get some retention going through this year and then, next year, going all the way to nationals for sure.”
