Gee-Gees reach out to community and say thanks
Al's Fastball News
fastball at pmihrm.com
Thu Sep 27 09:21:46 EDT 2007
Received: 9/27/07 6:05:24 AM
From: Scott Searle <scottsearle(at)rogers.com>
Subject: Gee-Gees reach out to community and say thanks
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Gee-Gees reach out to community and say thanks
Free clinic displays Gee-Gees commitment and gratitude to the
Ottawa fastball community
by Ben Myers - Fulcrum Staff
IT TAKES A lot of friends, favours, and contacts to create a
successful sports program, and every once in a while its good
to step back and say thank you to the people who dont step foot
on the field, but are very much a part of the team.
On Sept. 22, the womens fastball team put aside their competitive
tendencies and took some time to give back to the community that
supports them.
The Gee-Gees took the morning to teach some young players from
Ottawas east end both the fundamentals and the intricacies of
fastball (also known as softball). On the infield, players as
young as eight years old were taught pitching, fielding, and
batting. In the outfield, the Gee-Gees taught some interesting
lessons to older players about how to manipulate umpires and
look cool while diving to catch a fly ball.
For the first couple years, funding was a problem. So we were
really lucky to [be able to] borrow equipment, borrow diamond
rentals, [and] the community associations [were] really helpful,
said Gee-Gees head coach Scott Searle.
Searle explained that all levels of fastball in Canada are attempting
to draw attention to the sport and promote it to a younger audience.
Theres a big push from all coaches and athletes to revive the
sport at the young levelthe grassroots level ... so were doing
our part.
The melancholic mid-morning weather could hardly dampen the spirits
of the dedicated athletes, parents, and former players in attendance.
Its a free clinic, all ages ... We try to cover all the basics
as quick as we canso we do infielding, outfielding, hitting
... [and] some fun games, said Erin Durant, the Gee-Gees fourth-year
slugger.
Hartley Sommerville, an eight-year-old from the Orleans competitive
youth league, took part in the free clinic and impressed much
of the fastball team with his wicked underarm pitchsurprisingly
technical and accurate for his age. Mary Sommerville, Hartleys
mother, stated that the Gee-Gees have a positive impact on young
players like her son.
[The Gee-Gees] put a lot of time into talking to the kids,
Ms. Sommerville said. Hes totally focused on what theyre saying
and really paying attention.
We get a lot out of it ... One of the best ways to learn a skill
is by teaching the skill. So for our players to teach the skill
... its reinforcement, which is really good for them, said
Searle after the free clinic concluded.
After a quick lunch, the Gees were back on the field for their
afternoon games, a double-header against the Laurier Golden Hawks.
Lauriers a really strong team ... I expect a really good challenge
for us, Searle said before the game.
The Gee-Gees womens fastball program had some interesting T-shirts
made for this season, stating, At the University of Ottawa,
we dont rebuildwe reload. This phrase has become a rallying
cry for a team that lost many important players from last years
roster and is attempting to fill the holes with rookies.
Many of the Gee-Gees rookies performed well in their teams first
game against Laurier. A strong fourth inning with six hits gave
the Gee-Gees a 6-3 lead. Laurier added another run in the sixth
inning to make the game close, but Ottawas closing pitcher,
Jillian Taylor, helped the Gees hold on for the 7-6 win.
In the other weekend games, Ottawa again defeated Laurier 8-5
and then twice beat Waterloo on Sept. 23 with scores of 6-0 and
8-1.
Al's Fastball News
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