Ottawa’s softball team is back at home after batting gold at the North American Outgames in Vancouver, which ended July 31.
The tournament was played over two days, with eight teams competing. The first day was a round-robin match to determine the team’s rankings. It was also the first time the Ottawa team had played together, and it showed — they lost all their games and were ranked seventh.
Marshall Rowat was the co-captain of the Ottawa team.
“Once we found there were only eight teams, it boosted our confidence, but then we played on the Wednesday and it was like, ‘Holy shit! These teams are good,'” he says.
The following day, the team got serious and, according to Rowat, “it worked out beautifully.”
They won their first game, rose up the ranks and ended up playing Calgary in a tiebreaker. When they pulled off the win, the medal was theirs.
Rowat says there was a quick celebration on the field followed by the presentation of the medals.
“The medal ceremonies was held right there on the field and lickety-split, Vancouver got the bronze, Calgary got the silver, we got the gold and then — ‘Get off,'” he laughs.
Although the Outgames may be over, the softball season isn’t. Teams will compete at the Coupe des Phénix in Montreal, at the end-of-season tournament on Sept 16 and, of course, in the Divas vs Dykes game during Pride Week.
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