Team B.C. tryouts to play in the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) fastball tournament next year in Toronto won't happen until mid-August but the auditions unofficially began Friday.
On opening day at the Canadian Native Fastball Championships, under-19 women's team assistant coach Sydney Caplette got a firsthand look at Kyneesha Garnot-Kingdon and Kyra Buchan, two of the top prospects for that provincial team.
As teammates on the Prince George-based Northern Selects they all combined for an impressive 8-1 victory over the Brown Eyed Beauties of Manitoba in their opening game at Freeman Park.
Pitcher Caplette went the distance in the six-inning game and the Selects defence turned in a stellar outing to shut down the Beauties, who traveled 1,800 kilometres to get to Prince George for the 22-team women's tournament.
Two years ago at the NAIG tournament in Regina, Caplette pitched B.C.'s under-19 team all the way to the gold-medal, while Garnot-Kingdon and Buchan drove the U-16 B.C. team to the championship. This weekend's tournament is their first opportunity to play on the same team and if Friday's game was any indication, the Selects have a good shot at playing in Sunday's 6 p.m. final.
"It's definitely a new experience playing with them, they're going to try out for NAIG and hopefully I'll be their coach," said the 19-year-old Caplette.
"(The Beauties) got a few hits off me but I'm just happy we had defence to get me out of it. We only practiced three days as a team before the tournament so we did pretty good for our first game. There's a lot of money in it (the first-place team will win at least $10,000) but I just hope we play as a team and don't focus on that too much."
Buchan, 17, is from Quesnel but is familiar with the Freeman Park diamonds. She played this season for the Prince George midget Thunderbirds in the Prince George Women's Fastball Association against Caplette's Raiders and represented the north central region at the under-18 B provincial tournament. Buchan, the Selects second baseman, is playing in her first native national tournament.
"This is a lot of fun on this team, I just met most of them so I was pretty nervous this morning coming into it, but we all settled in together and got to know each other pretty well," Buchan said.
"It's a long way up to the top with 22 teams."
Garnot-Kingdon, 17, lives in Chilliwack but is originally from Prince George. She came into the game against the Beauties in the fifth inning playing left field and was called upon immediately to make a couple fly-ball putouts.
She's looking forward to her chance to celebrate her native heritage again at the NAIG tournament next July.
"It was a proud moment winning gold," said Garnot-Kingdon.
"It's a little bit nervewracking but it's definitely a huge experience, the best I've ever had. You meet people from everywhere and play with new people."
Caplette and head coach Michelle Webster will host B.C. team tryouts Aug. 13 in Penticton,
Aug. 14 in Chilliwack and Aug. 20 in Prince George.
The Selects are mostly Prince George players or former residents of the city and several are related to each other: Coach Mary Potskin is part of the legendary local softball clan; Garnot-Kingdon is Ghostkeeper's niece; Brit Unruh, a former T-bird, lives in Saskatoon; Rene Chaillee, born and raised in Prince George, lives in Conklin, Alta.; and Mary's granddaughter Crystal Aubichon, a P.G. native, lives in Edmonton.
Based in the Tootinaowaziibeeng First Nation communities of Erickson, Sandy Bay and Valley River, west of Dauphin, Man., the Beauties are a bit of a family affair as well. Player/coach Rena Ironstand has four daughters on the team - Denise, Tracy, Chelsea and Miranda.
And coach Echo McKay and their cousin Tracy McKay also wear the bright pink Beauties jersey.
"We've been playing every year (at the Native Canadian tournament) since I was 17," said 28-year-old Beauties pitcher Ciara Bell. "There are about five of us who have stuck together since we were teenagers. Last year in Winnipeg we were sixth.
"I love seeing how all aboriginals come together at Canadians, it makes you proud. I just love it."
Bell was trailing 4-1 to start the sixth inning when the Selects began to feast on her pitches, scoring four runs while batting through the order. Tamara Umpherville started the big inning with a walk and was doubled in by Chelsey Dalziel. Unruh followed that with a single and the next batter, Camryn Scully, knocked out another basehit to plate Dalziel.
Kat Muxlow, who was stellar defensively all game at third base, had runners at first and third when she drove a Bell pitch into the outfield to score the third run of the inning and Caplette cranked out a double to bring Scully home.
The Beauties were unable to score in their half of the sixth and the game ended one inning shy of being complete when the one hour 45 minute time limit was reached.
"We never take teams for granted - they can hit and they were just smokin' the ball first up so we had to be on our toes," said Ghostkeeper.
"I'm very proud of the girls for playing hard, I'm very impressed with the talent we have."
The Selects went on to lose 8-1 Friday afternoon to the Lacquette Construction All-Stars of Mallard, Man., the third-place team in the senior women's division at last year's native nationals.
