Kissing cod, a bit of screech, a bit of fishing a whole lot of slo-pitch, a ton of fundraising and a ton of memories.
“I would definitely do it again,” Fembot Candace Miller said of her experience at the ladies Slo-Pitch National Championships in Saint John’s, NFLD earlier this summer.
The Fembots, finished the tournament in seventh place after an 0-4 record in round-robin action and a 1-1 record in the playoffs.
Despite the lacklustre record, the Fembots returned to Quesnel encouraged by their achievements and motivated to improve.
“The calibre of ball was impressive, we would love to play at that calibre,” Sherri Mailloux said.
“But only one or two games were out of reach.
“In the other games we just had one bad inning that got us into trouble.”
Miller said the team felt they were on the cusp of matching up with other top calibre ladies slo-pitch teams and needed to make just a few adjustments.
In the short-term, Miller and Mailloux felt the team needed a full-time coach and have already taken a step in that direction by securing the services of Darren Joly and Tony McKee as volunteer coaches for the upcoming provincial championships in Kelowna.
In the longer-term, the Fembots admit playing in a regular ladies slo-pitch league would be ideal.
“The other teams play in regular ladies slo-pitch leagues,” Mailloux said.
“In Quesnel, we play on different teams most of the time.”
However their short-term and long-term plans work out, the Fembots have a trunk-full of memories that serve as motivation enough to return to the nationals.
“We played a game in the fog,” Miller said with a shake of the head.
“You could barely see the batter.”
“When the ball was hit we would just holler a name in the general direction the ball went,” Mailloux said was the strategy to help teammates locate the ball.
As has become their custom, the Fembots impressed with their uniform.
“We got tons of compliments,” Miller said.
“We were the best dressed and best looking team,” she added with a chuckle.
“We couldn’t have done it without First Class Collision, they paid for the full uniforms.”
The Fembots also displayed the generosity typical of residents of Quesnel, as they presented the tournament organizers with a plaque designed and created by Barb Morgenstern.
The Fembots earned the right to represent B.C. at the national tournament with a fourth place-finish at the provincial championships last September.
Given their experience at the national tourney this summer, the Fembots are heading to Kelowna, Sept. 2 – 5, hoping to finish strong enough to qualify for next year’s national tourney in Moncton, New Brunswick.
“We’ve picked up a couple of new players,” Miller said.
“I think our chances are good based on the team we have.”
For information about supporting or playing for the Fembots call: 250-991-2262.