My Journey to Tokyo

Hey Everyone! I can't believe it...Our whirlwind of a trip is over :(  Two weeks later, I find myself back in Seattle and back to my "regular" life.  Our last few days in Guadalajara were hectic to say the least.  We played three games in less than twenty four hours to win ourselves the silver medal.  I couldn't be more proud of my teammates for coming out strong against Venezuela, winning 11-1, getting revenge against Cuba 4-0 (Cuba beat us in pool play 4-1), and finally taking on the USA once again for what seemed like the hundredth time this summer, eventually losing 11-1.  That being said, we were proud of ourselves.  Our primary goal in coming to Guadalajara was getting to that game, that gold medal game, and having the opportunity to compete for gold.  Our spirits were high after losing that final game.  Although it wasn't "Oh Canada" playing as we stood on the podium watching the flags rise, we realized wh...

Hey Everyone! I can't believe it is already Saturday!!! Saturday marks the beginning of the medal round for the event!   After a 12-5 loss against the US (we were up 5-0 after the first inning) and a big 6-1 win against the Dominican Republic, we have snatched a third place standing for the playoffs.   These playoffs are different than any other tournament I have been in.   Basically, only the top four of eight move on, and the third and fourth seeds play one another as do the first and second seeds.   Today at 4PM we are playing Venezuela.  Following our game, the US will take on Cuba.   If all goes according to plan, we should play Cuba tomorrow (loser getting bronze) and then play the US for the Gold medal.   It is single elimination, so if we lose today against Venezuela, we would get fourth and will leave Guadalajara empty handed. Yesterday’s game versus the Dominican was a huge game for us.   We considered it to be our first play...

Hey Everyone!! Yesterday was crazy, insane, unexpected, emotional, adrenaline pumping and so much more.   No one could have anticipated yesterday's events, and to be honest, I am still in disbelief.   Where to begin...... Venezuela and Canada have had a strong rivalry for years.   Although we are the better all-around team, Venezuela is scrappy and plays off of their energy and emotion.   When one person gets a hit, it is contagious and spreads through the lineup like wildfire.   We jumped ahead 3-0 in the top of the first and eventually scored another run, heading into the bottom of the seventh up 4-0.   Venezuela, out of nowhere, began pounding the ball and finding every single hole on the field.  We ended up squeaking by, winning by the skin of our teeth, 4-3.   Our game against Cuba was when it got quite interesting.   Cuba is, like many of the South American countries, a feisty and scrappy team.   They swing harder than...

Hey Everyone! WE BEAT PUERTO RICO 10-2! I thought about phrasing that many different ways, but why not get right to the point, eh? The game was pretty crazy, so much offense!   One of my teammates, Kaleigh Rafter, who we jokingly and appropriately call “Raf-star” was on fire, with half of our RBIs (runs batted in), scoring me twice.   The highlight of the game, in my opinion, was my web gem in the third inning.   In my latest blog I mentioned the conditions of the outfield, but I hereby take all of that back, I absolutely love it!   I was playing right field, normal depth when a ball was crushed over my head, hands down a home run on a regulation size field.   Remember those 240-foot fences?   Boy did they end up helping me out!   With at least twenty yards to go until I smashed into the cement wall, now graciously padded with two inches of hard foam, I turned my head and sprinted back.   With about 8 feet until the wall, I reached out ...

Good morning Everyone! It is finally Monday, which marks the beginning of our tournament!   After practicing in Mexico for five days now, I can’t wait to finally play games.   Our first game this afternoon is against Puerto Rico, who we had the opportunity to play a scrimmage game against on Saturday.   But we ended up only tying 1-1.   It was our first time playing together since the World Cup in Oklahoma this past summer and our first time playing on the stadium field.   You wouldn’t think that playing on a particular field would make that much of a difference………but obviously you have yet to see this field. We arrived at the Complex for the first time on Friday afternoon for BP (batting practice) on the soccer fields behind the Stadium.   As we passed by the field, we were able to sneak a peak at the brand new arena we are to play all of our games on.   The first think I noticed was the outfield grass.   It is a turf field.   Aw...

Hey Everyone! I thought before my next blog later tonight I would post a few pictures from around the Village so everyone could see a little bit of what Guadalajara is like! Our Canada section of the Village.  Part of the main quad.  Across the grass (the darker colored building) is our two story, gorgeous fitness center.  Each country has flags everywhere, it's awesome.   The front of our Team Canada residence! (Don't worry, we are getting a bigger flag!) This has to be one of my favorite parts of the Village. Anytime a Canadian athlete wins a medal, a small poster is put on this wall with their name, event and place on the podium.  I can't wait for this wall to be filled with Canadian athletes, including Team Canada softball of course :) Back with more soon! Love, Victoria

To my family, friends, fans and anyone else that randomly finds this link on Google - Writing a blog is much harder than I had originally thought it might be. I have written, rewritten and rewritten again the opening line for this first blog.  No "one liner" can capture all of the ideas running through my head.  I had been thinking about documenting my experiences and travels with the Canadian National Team for some time now; but hey, no time like the present, right?  Basically, I want some sort of chronicle that, when I'm fifty years old with a family of my own, I can look back to.  Something I can read to my kids in hopes of inspiring them to follow their own dreams.  Something that can bring me back to the amazing experiences I have had and will have throughout the coming years.   It is a beautiful, clear night here in Guadalajara, Mexico.  I'm sitting outside of our "Athlete's Lounge" grabbing the only strong signal of Internet on this half of ...