For the Okanagan Elite U17 girls softball team, playing for each other mattered more than the trophy, but they got both.
The team’s motto, stronger together, is a mindset that carried them through months of tryouts, training, travel, and competition to capture a Canada Cup title earlier this month.
As far as head coach Leanne Spanza could determine, the international title is the first ever for an Okanagan team in the tournament’s 30-year history.
“I’m just so proud of them,” she said. “We’ve worked hard throughout the years…we’ve always been stronger together. That includes not just our players—that includes our parents.”
The Canada Cup featured 119 teams from all over the world playing in five different brackets. The Okanagan Elite U17 squad competed in the 37-team Showcase Select division with teams from B.C., Alberta, Washington, and Oregon.
It was held at Softball City on the Lower Mainland from July 4-8.
The Okanagan squad played nine games over the four days, with scores ranging from nerve-wracking 1-0 and 8-7 wins, and finally, an 8-3 victory over the Langley Xtreme 09 in the final.
Spanza said the girls came into the tournament focused not just on winning, but on playing for each other.
“That’s our line—we play for each other. It’s not something that we knew was going to happen, we just knew we were going to play hard and compete.”
Most of the team has been together since playing U15 ball. The road to the Canada Cup started in September with tryouts. A few new players joined the roster, and by Thanksgiving the team was training indoors three times a week, all the way through March. From April on, it was tournament season.
“We’re a predominantly travel team,” said Spanza. “We went to the Lower Mainland, the Seattle area down to Portland, and hosted our own tournament in Lake Country.”
But their win was more than just a team effort, it was a club-wide celebration.
The younger U15 Elite team, which trains alongside the U17s through the winter, had two of its pitchers join as pickups for the tournament.
“They were phenomenal,” Spanza said. “It’s about both teams. It’s about Elite as a whole. It’s about coming together and competing, and having fun.”
Spanza noted that players from both teams come from up and down the Okanagan Valley.
“From Enderby to Penticton…it’s sportsmanship, mentorship, and community.”
Now, the U17 team is preparing for the provincial champions, taking place July 18–20 at High Noon Park in Â鶹AV.
“It’s potentially the last tournament of the season,” Spanza said. “So you’ve got to give it your all, have fun, and trust your teammates.”
She encouraged local fans to come out and support the girls.
“If you’ve got kids that are interested in playing ball, that are currently playing ball, it’s a great sport to watch. The girls are loud. It’s entertaining.”
Spanza said it all comes back to the bond these players share.
“I’m just really proud of the girls,” she said. “It’s a major accomplishment to win the Canada Cup, and they did it together."
