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ORIGINAL STORY by Darryl Smart
Norfolk News
Talk about the ultimate Canada Day present.
Down in the basement of a hotel in Cloverdale, BC, Courtney Gilbert, like the 27 others trying out for Canada junior women’s softball team, waited to hear their name Wednesday.
That’s when they’d find out their fate, whether or not they’d represent Canada this summer.
“The coach called me in the room and asked how my weekend went,†Gilbert said. “I saw plane tickets beside me. I said I didn’t hit as well I thought I should. I thought was going home.
“He shook his head and said that bat better get hot… when you’re playing for Team Canada. I looked at him and I cried. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know how to feel. It felt surreal. It’s always been a childhood dream. All the hard work paid off.â€
So instead of getting one of those tickets beside her and coming home to play for the Brantford Bobcats, the recent Delhi District Secondary School graduate is still in British Columbia as a member of Team Canada, preparing for the WBSC XI Junior Women’s World Championships in Oklahoma City, OK., August 9 to 15.
“I’m absolutely excited,†Gilbert said Friday. “I’ve talked about it and dreamt about this for a long time. To be honest, it still hasn’t sunk in yet. I think it will when we play our first game on the weekend.
“I phoned my mom right after,†she said. “She was waiting at home for the call. I told her and she was in tears. It really is amazing to know all of the hard work has paid off.â€
Gilbert and her new teammates didn’t get to celebrate making the team for very long, kicking off the summer schedule with the Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship in Surrey, BC., on Friday, which will concludes on July 12.
While she’s obviously elated, Gilbert admits she and the others will be fighting off not only nerves but the riggers of a tough training camp.
“It was very intense,†Gilbert said. “It was a four-day camp and we did a fitness test the first day, which took a lot out of all of us. I think they can see I was trying my best, even if I was tired.
“It’s nerve-racking because you don’t know what they’re looking for,†she said. “I thought I did well. I pushed myself as hard as I could. Although I didn’t hit like I wanted, I played well defensively.â€
As for a role on the team, Gilbert said she’s not quite sure yet. She said she’ll be in the infield more than likely because she was mainly at shortstop during camp, and will try to lead by example. It is something she’s done everywhere she’s played.
“Playing in Brantford has really been a huge help,†Gilbert said. “The coaches have had girls play for the national team, so they know how to prepare you. They know what it takes to get to that level.
Which is why she’ll be playing at the University of Buffalo in the fall.
“When I heard from them, they were so happy for me,†she said of her Brantford coaches. “They said they knew I had it in me.â€
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