[Alsfastball] University of Ottawa Softball

[Al Doran]

From: "Scott Searle" <Scottsearle at rogers.com
To: "Al Doran" <fastball at pmihrm.com
Subject: University of Ottawa Softball
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 14:09:26 -0400



     From last Saturday's Ottawa CItizen.  The team will finish its season 
at the Manotick arena on October 16th with a pair of divisional games 
against Queens and Carleton before moving on to the Ontario Championships 
Oct. 23-24 at the RA Center.  Fan support would be much appreciated for 
both of the weekends.  Any questions please contact Scott Searle at 837-0787.



Gee-Gees Champions Who Pay a Price



Lise Burke-Wallace
         The Ottawa Citizen



No one can argue the value of a university education, but the costs of 
attending a post-secondary insitution can be quite significant.


Students can spend anywhere between $5,000 and $15,000 for one year's 
education and while another $300 dollars might seem insignificant, it is 
the difference for 15 girls who want to play fastball for the University of 
Ottawa.


Fastball is a growing sport for women attending Ontario universities, but 
its not considered a sanctioned sport by the Canadian Interuniversity Sport 
body. As a result, the women have to pay for part of their expenses. It 
also means they don't have the opportunity to play in a national championship.


The U of O team figures its budget comes in at just less then $8,000. The 
school was able to give them $3,000 for the program, but the team was 
forced to raise the remainder of the money if they wanted to play.


"We ask the girls to come up with $300 each," coach Scott Searle said. 
"They can either pay that themselves or try and do some fund-raising."


The team is in its third year and is looking to defend its provincial title 
when it plays host to the championship Oct. 22-24 here in Ottawa.


The league features 12 teams, including both Carleton and the U of O, and 
runs over five weeks, with all the games played over weekends.


Jennifer Blakely has been with the Gee-Gees since Day 1, and says the 
program and league have grown stronger with every year.


Blakely also plays for the Bytowm Belles, but says the calibre of play in 
the university league is much stronger.


"Fastpitch is really big in southern Ontario, and we're seeing more of 
those players in the league," said Blakely, who is the team's catcher. 
"I've really seen a significant increase in the quality of players because 
I think girls are realizing there is an opportunity to play at the 
university level."


The one thing Blakely would still like to see more of is funding. "In our 
first year, I can remember when the whole team stayed at a girl's house to 
save money," she said with a laugh. "There were 15 of us sleeping on the 
floor."


It's also not uncommon for six to eight girls to share a hotel room to try 
and lower their travel expenses.


"Its's amazing what you'll do to save money," Blakely said. "The money 
we're getting is improving, but we still have to worry about how we're 
going to get places or how we're going to pay for things."


The Gee Gees are 9-4 this season and have two more home games next weekend 
before playing host to the championship. Searle feels the team has a good 
chance to win the title again. With a solid returning corps of seven 
veterans and eight strong rookies, the team is balanced.


"The strength in this league is usually hitting," Searle said. "This year, 
we also have some great pitching so we have a perfect balance."

From: "Scott Searle" <Scottsearle at rogers.com


  Als Fastball List
*Email: fastball at pmihrm.com
http://www.alsfastball.com/
http://www.ISCfastball.com/
NEWS: http://www.escribe.com/sports/alsfastball/
TEMP: http://www.fastpitchwest.com/alsfastball.htm