There was a silver lining to the Turner Valley Braves finishing second at the mixed slowpitch tournament at the +55 Alberta Summer Games in Fairview last year.
It turns out the gold medal team from Edmonton had to turn down an invite to the +55 Canada Summer Games in Sydney, Nova Scotia Aug. 29-Sept. 1. So the next invite went to the second-place Turner Valley Braves.
Braves head coach Harry Cowan said although the Braves are good and will contend in Nova Scotia, that’s not the point.
“It’s all about fun,” the 62-year-old Cowan said. “It’s all about being a holiday, we just happen to play ball. It’s about the people — we have become like a family.”
They are kind of like the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates, who adopted Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family” as their theme song en route to winning the World Series.
Nothing bonds a family like winning.
The Braves won the silver medal at the Alberta Games in 2009 and 2011 and won the bronze medal at the 2010 +55 Canada Games in
Brockville, ON.
The Braves are a family who shares. Cowan has a rule — everyone gets to play equally on the field and they get to make plays on the field.
“I tell them there is none of this stuff where the guy cuts in front of one of the ladies to catch a flyball,” Cowan said.
He’s going to bend the rules a little to make sure the Brave ladies get their due.
The +55 Canada Games rules state there must be at least two women out of 10 players on the field. Cowan plans to have three women on the field.
“I have six women on our team and nine guys,” Cowan said. “That (playing 7-3) makes it easier to give everybody the same playing time.”
The Braves got started in 2009 when Red Deer Lake area resident Linda Schaal told Cowan she would like to participate in the +55 Alberta Summer Games to celebrate her turning 60.
See Braves on page 35
Cowan used his connection as a member of the former Turner Valley men’s teams, which played in the Foothills Fastball League, to recruit players. The Turner Valley team folded approximately 25 years.
Cowan was able to convince former Braves Mickey Getten of High River and Dean Younggren to play.
Getten was quick to get on board.
“We had a bunch of people who wanted to play mixed slowpitch and this is what we came up with,” the 58-year-old Getten said. “It’s been quite an adventure for this team, we are a diverse group, and it’s been a lot of fun.
“I thought my baseball days were over, but then I got a call from Harry. It’s been a blast.”
Getten is an outfielder who could cover a wheat field with speed back in his Foothills Fastball days.
He doesn’t quite have the same range now.
“Everything slows down at this age — It takes a long time to recover,” Getten said. “The good thing about it is we are playing other teams that are over 55. We’re all in the same boat.”
Getten shares Cowan’s optimism.
“We have a pretty solid team and I think we will do pretty well,” he said.
Cowan used his connection as a member of the former Turner Valley men’s teams, which played in the Foothills Fastball League, to recruit players. The Turner Valley team folded approximately 25 years ago.
Cowan was able to convince former Braves Mickey Getten of High River and Dean Younggren to play.
Getten was quick to get on board.
“We had a bunch of people who wanted to play mixed slowpitch and this is what we came up with,” the 58-year-old Getten said. “It’s been quite an adventure for this team, we are a diverse group, and it’s been a lot of fun.
“I thought my baseball days were over, but then I got a call from Harry. It’s been a blast.”
Getten is an outfielder who could cover a wheat field with speed back in his Foothills fastball days.
He doesn’t quite have the same range now.
“Everything slows down at this age — it takes a long time to recover,” Getten said. “The good thing about it is we are playing other teams that are over 55. We’re all in the same boat.”
Getten shares Cowan’s optimism.
“We have a pretty solid team and I think we will do fairly well,” he said. “Our strength is defence.”
The Braves proved they belong there. They beat the defending Canada Games champions during Alberta Summer Games play last year.
Outfielder Linda Nelson from Turner Valley has been with the Braves the past three years. She said the majority of the original Braves are still on the team.
“This team is like a big family,” Nelson said. “When we go to tournaments people are bringing food and we are so supportive of one another. We get along so well.”
She added many of the women on the team play in the Okotoks ladies recreation league on Thursdays. Many of the men play on senior men’s teams in Calgary.
She is optimistic the team will do well in Nova Scotia. However, the ball is almost secondary.
“It’s about being active and promoting sports,” she said.
The majority of the players come from the foothills area with some players coming from other communities such as Cochrane.
To follow the Braves in Nova Scotia go to www.canada55plusgames2012.com
