The 2002 Richmond Islanders achieved their ultimate season goal last weekend by reaching the podium at the U14 Western Canadian Softball Championships.
“Actually our big goal this season was to qualify and compete in the Westerns, as getting the right to represent BC in this tournament is a very tough road,” said Islanders coach Tyler Gibson. “We started the season with some tough losses, but we really started playing well in late May.”
Weeks later, the Islanders captured the district playdowns to earn the opportunity to compete at the Provincial Championships in Surrey. It was their strong play on the provincial stage that earned Richmond a trip to Cloverdale Athletic Park as B.C. #3.
At the Westerns, the girls went 4-2 in the six round-robin games, with wins over the Red Deer Rage AB, Melford Spirit SK, Ridge Meadows Rage, and the Cloverdale Fury. The losses were close games against the Sherwood Storm AB and the Gordon Head Wave BC.
The Islanders secured third place for the playoffs where they defeated Red Deer again to secure the bronze medal.
“The girls played fantastic all weekend, and the medal really did exceed the coaches’ expectations,” added Gibson. “With the very tough competition in B.C., our season could have been over in early June at the districts, or in early July at Provincials. But the girls powered through June and July and ended up with a bronze medal for B.C. in August!”
The Islanders roster includes: Jen Lum, Cassidy Martin, Zoe McNeill, Regan Gibson, Cassidy Chen, Sandy Yang, Caitlin Bradley-Tse, Sidney Lim, Jamie Corbett, Anjali Cote, Taylor Zelmer, Katherine Mejias…absent Tayler Chislett-Lefor, and Angelica Symons. Rounding out the coaching staff are: Steve Lum and Michel Cote.
