If you were to try to count up how many games and practices Moose Jaw Under-17 Ice teammates Makena Simmons and Katie Newberry have been through together over the years, you’d probably need a calculator of some sort.
So it’s perfectly fitting that the standout fastball duo will be suiting up alongside one another wearing green and white a couple months from now.
Simmons and Newberry were among 15 players named by Softball Saskatchewan to the Canada Summer Games women’s fastball team last week and as a result will be taking the field in Niagara, Ont. when the games kick off on Aug. 6.
The selection was the final step in a long process that included training camps and plenty of games in front of many a watchful eye as the time to make personnel decisions moved closer.
The Ice had just wrapped up a tournament during the June 4 weekend when word came down that the local duo had cracked the roster.
“It was really exciting to know that we’re part of this team, the shortlist has been out since last summer and it’s been a long process, but it’s been really good,” said Simmons, an outfielder and catcher. “I’ve never been to one of these so I don’t know exactly what it’s like, but I’ve heard about the Summer Games and stuff so it’ll be nice to get some experience and see what it’s all about.”
Given the level of competition she was up against as a pitcher, Newberry wasn’t sure if she was going to have a shot at the final roster, even though things had been going pretty well in lead-up to the announcement.
“I wasn’t expecting to make it, but when I did it was extra special,” Newberry said. “I was competing against the best pitcher in the province and when I got to make the team with her it was really cool.”
Older fans of the sport in Moose Jaw will remember the 2005 Canada Games women’s fastball tournament at the Caribou Heights Diamonds, and the incredible pitching performances by the likes of B.C.’s Danielle Lawrie and Ontario’s Robin Macklin, with their skill and finesse leading to a 1-0 win for B.C. in extra innings in the gold medal final.
Putting something like that together will naturally be the goal for Newberry in Niagara.
“It’s going to be fun to be at that level… not only do you have to throw the ball, you have to really have to think where you’re going to throw the ball and then make that pitch,” she said. “That’s half the game in itself and just taking the mental aspect into it is important.”
Both players have turned fastball into a full-year gig, with both Newberry and Simmons having suited up with the Regina .222s for a string of tournaments in the United States this past winter.
Simmons felt that experience -- and the ability to train year-round with an indoor facility -- was crucial to their selection.
“It’s pretty much an all-around all-year thing at this point,” she said. “Training all year is pretty much mandatory at this level, otherwise you lose a lot of your skill if you’re not playing. You can only play three months in summer, so it’s nice to have an indoor facility to work out of and stuff and then a team we can play down south with.”
Newberry was of much the same mindset, with an added bonus.
“It was pretty fun, even just breaking up the winter with the hot weather,” she said with a laugh. “But we were able to play against some really good teams from all over the place and see some great competition. We had some good games and it was a lot of fun.”
Of course, fastball is only one sport at the Canada Summer Games, and the week-long extravaganza will be something to behold, as is the case any time thousands of athletes from all over the country gather for the event.
“It’s so exciting with how they set it up and everything, it’s almost like a mini-Olympics,” Simmons said. “It’s so cool, I think the experience is going to be amazing.”
“And the fact I get to go with my best friend is pretty cool, too,” Newberry said with a grin.
The women’s fastball portion of the Canada Summer Games runs from Sunday, Aug. 7 through Friday, Aug, 12. Saskatchewan plays in Pool A and will face B.C. on Aug. 7, Prince Edward Island and Manitoba on Aug. 8 before closing the round robin out against B.C. on Aug. 9.
