Two Sundogs girls softball teams journeyed down to Vancouver recently to take in some Team Canada games at the Canada Cup softball tournament and get some much-needed experience on the diamond.

The U13 and U15 teams went down to B.C. The U13 girls ranged from ages 10-12. The U15 girls ranged from 13-16 years of age. The Yukon teams are allowed to have a few overage players for outside competitions.

Sarah Walz, program coordinator for Softball Yukon, explained how the idea came about.

“It kind of is an idea I’ve been sitting on for a while. Pre-COVID, I had met with my counterpart in N.W.T. and – we were at some Softball Canada meetings and she was chatting about how they had done something pretty similar. In 2019, they took a group of nine or so girls – it actually may have been a combination for them of girls and boys ... they took a team down to the Canada Cup tournament to watch some ball and they linked up with Team Canada and they had an exhibition game and just used it as an exposure trip for their kids.

“We were at a pretty similar point in development of our program to them and ever since she told me that, I’ve been wanting to do this for (the) female program but this year we could finally make it happen because it’s the first time the tournament’s been back since 2019.”

The girls went down June 23 and returned June 26. The Star spoke to Walz Wednesday.

“We went down there Thursday afternoon and then we got lucky and Team Canada agreed that we could – actually we were hoping to attend batting practice with them but our flight was a little late and traffic was really bad.

“When we got to the park they were playing, so we went and watched the game and then after the game the girls got to meet with Team Canada and they got to mingle with the players and get autographs and pictures and ask questions.”

Team Canada was playing Mexico. The girls were able to catch a Canada-U.S. game the next evening.

“It was a pretty exciting game to watch, and to meet them after,” recalled Walz.

“And then the next three days was a combination of going and watching some ball and then on the Saturday both of our teams played doubleheaders against some local teams.”

“It was awesome,” related Walz.

“We didn’t win any games but we won a couple innings and we were in all of the games ... we didn’t expect to win any games and that wasn’t the intent of our trip. We wanted the girls to play against teams of their same age and other teams of all girls and to see where we stood because this is the first time we’ve played anyone outside of the Yukon. So it was really exciting for them to get some legitimate games with real umpires certified through the softball Canada system in B.C., (with) players that had all been playing for certainly longer than our girls.

“And really the biggest gap for us right now is pitching but on both teams we have girls that started this winter and they’re doing awesome but obviously the people they’re playing against in B.C. have been pitching for probably three or four more years. It was good to see we’re on the right track and as we keep getting that developed we will be right in there with these teams.”

Walz said the games were competitive.

“It was exciting to see some real gameplay for these girls just cause the softball we have here in town right now is pretty house league and – there are house league teams we are playing but it was like a step up – following real rules, and the pitchers were pitching windmill, batters were hitting, plays were happening, people were stealing bases, so it was a little bit of a step up from what we see here.”

According to Walz, the girls dealt with the situation really well.

Just prior to leaving, we had some exhibition games with the male Sundogs teams ... we used those games – our U15 girls have been playing other teams all season and they’ve been playing against some women and occasionally against some of the U13 boys. But our U13 girls, this was the first chance for me as a coach to have them playing as a team in a game because we’ve just been practicing and they play within the house league.

“So we used those times to set them up ... how we warm up for a game, this is what’s gonna happen, this is what the lineups look like and just sort of establishing some protocol so they know what to expect and I think that really helped. But it was definitely – I wouldn’t say full-on culture shock but I think the girls were for sure a little bit nervous and it was the first time playing against people their same age in an actual formulated team but they handled it really well ... game two, for the older girls, they really started clicking, things were happening, we were stealing bases, we were picking runners off, so it’ll be exciting to see how they take that experience and bring it back and carry it into their play here.”

“We took this as a chance to pull them away from the house league and get them into their own development system.

“We’re a development team and we’re hoping to get to an elite team,” she added.

As far as the trip went overall, Walz said it was “Phenomenal. It was really exciting to finally have this opportunity for them. They were still excited days after the trip ... I think it’s a big step for us forward and we needed this to keep them bought in and let them see what exists for the sport outside the Yukon and where we want to get to with the sport. I’m very happy with how it went and excited to see the effects of them going and how it changes their appreciation for the game.

“I think they had a pretty good time.”

Walz agreed that the future is looking bright for the Sundogs girls teams.

“This specific trip was the start of something bigger and now ... if we do travel, we’ll be traveling to compete and long term, we’re hoping that this program will start feeding into the Yukon having major games participation on the softball side of things. It’s definitely been a long time since we had softball at Canada Summer Games, if ever. So that’s the long-term goal of this program, is to start feeding into opportunities like that for our kids. So hopefully for sure, there’ll be more trips in the future, but trips to compete.”

“We are kind of looking forward to 2025 and hopefully if Western Canada Games is still going to happen. And then within the softball world there’s Western Canadian Championships every summer and that would be a stepping stone before we try to go to the nationals.”

Walz added, “It’s just really exciting times for us right now and it’s nice that we can finally start doing these kinds of things again and just excited to see where this program goes.

“I’ve been working with Softball Yukon as an employee and a volunteer for the last four years and when I first came up here we started a female development program and the gentleman that was working here asked me if I wanted to help coach it and myself and Amy that is coaching with me, we both started with that program and there was probably eight girls from age eight to 15. So it’s exciting to see the huge growth we’ve had just in those four years and I’m really excited to see three years down the road what these girls that are in this program will be doing in hopefully things like Canada Games and Westerns and Nationals.”