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Okotoks teens headed to Montreal for U17 fast pitch nationals

Local players selling Rebel Bean coffee, doing bottle drives and seeking corporate sponsors to help offset travel costs.
U17-Softball-Sponsorship
Highwood MLA RJ Sigurdson and Deputy Mayor Rachel Swendseid pose with Sage Haakenson (centre left) and Tessa Groeneveld (centre right) at Sigurdson's constituency office Aug. 3. The teens are headed to Montreal for the 2022 U17 Girls Canadian Fast Pitch Championship and are seeking community support to cover travel costs, accommodations and more.

Two Okotoks softball players have qualified for the 2022 U17 Girls Canadian Fast Pitch Championship in Montreal and are looking for support from the community to get them there. 

Tessa Groeneveld, 16, and Sage Haakenson, 17, of the Calgary Adrenaline qualified for the national tournament after finishing third at provincials in mid-July. 

This year has been busy for the team with regular play and travel resuming without pandemic restrictions. 

The teens, who both attend Calgary's National Sports School at Winsport, said they are very excited to make the trip for the week-long tournament.

But with total costs ringing in around $3,500 per player, Groeneveld and Haakenson are reaching out to the community to make their dreams a reality. 

"This [tournament] is really big for us," said Groeneveld, who pitches and plays first base. 

Haakenson, a catcher and second baseman, said the pair has partnered with Rebel Bean Roasters to help raise funds for the trip. They've also been collecting bottles and reaching out to businesses for sponsorship. 

Anyone interested in contributing to the players' trip costs, either by purchasing coffee beans or donating bottles, is encouraged to reach out to Haakenson at [email protected].

Both players have been dedicated to fast pitch for some time. 

Groeneveld, who is going into Grade 11, said she began playing at the age of nine after a friend enrolled and didn't want to play alone. 

Haakenson said she's been playing as long as she can remember. 

The two are expecting some fierce competition in Quebec and have even faced some of their upcoming opponents before. But, it isn't anything they haven't prepared for. 

"You take your season to get ready for provincials and you take provincials to get ready for nationals," said Haakenson, who added the tournament will be full of reporters, scouts and players looking to highlight the importance of women in sport. 

Local officials met with the athletes ahead of their departure to wish them well. 

Highwood MLA RJ Sigurdson provided them with letters of recognition and Alberta pins to exchange with teams from other provinces. He said area-athletes become important ambassadors when they travel for competition. 

"They get a chance to go out to different areas, whether it's the U.S., internationally or across Canada, and they become ambassadors for the province," he said. 

"They get to talk about their local community, what's happening in the province and really – that's a great chance for them to go out and tell the great story of what Alberta is and what Alberta means to them." 

Deputy Mayor Rachel Swendseid said the Town is proud to have the high schoolers represent Okotoks on the national stage. 

"Having athletes in Okotoks that make it to levels like this really represents our community and they're really able to showcase what we have," she said, adding the community strives to be active in supporting youth in their pursuits.

Play begins Aug. 17 with the Adrenaline facing off against the NB Selects followed by the Whitby Eagles Aquanno. 

Round robin play continues through Aug. 19 ahead of playoffs and finals which will wrap up on Aug. 21. 

All games can be streamed via the Game Changer app, by searching Calgary Adrenaline. 

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