24/03/2021 2 Minute Read

Softball Canada Olympic Team in Florida to open first training camp of the year

“Our team has done a very good job of staying focused on their training goals throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,” said head coach Mark Smith.

The Canadian Women’s National Softball Team has arrived in Florida to continue their preparation for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The 18-athlete Canadian extended roster includes four Olympians and will train together for the first time in 2021.

“Our team has done a very good job of staying focused on their training goals throughout the COVID-19 pandemic” stated Mark Smith, Canada’s Head Coach. “It has been a real collective group effort that they have all bought into as they continue with their preparation for the months ahead.”

There are currently 18 athletes from the Women’s National Team Athlete Pool who are participating in the Florida camp, including 14 athletes from the WBSC Softball Americas Qualifier, where Canada booked their ticket to Tokyo, and four veterans from the Beijing 2008 Olympic team: Danielle Lawrie, Kaleigh Rafter, Lauren Bay Regula and Jenn Salling.

The Canadian roster is as follows (you can see the athlete's profiles at Softball Canada's website):

Jenna Caira
Emma Entzminger
Larissa Franklin
Jennifer Gilbert
Sara Groenewegen
Kelsey Harshman
Victoria Hayward
Karissa Hovinga
Danielle Lawrie
Janet Leung
Joey Lye
Callum Pilgrim
Erika Polidori
Morgan Rackel
Kaleigh Rafter
Lauren Regula
Jennifer Salling
Natalie Wideman

Softball Canada expect to announce their final Olympic roster of 15 athletes in June.

The team is looking forward to competing together for the first time since defeating Brazil at the 2019 WBSC Americas Qualifier in Surrey, to qualify for Tokyo 2020. In the year and a half that has passed since then, the team has been pushing themselves further by focusing on individual and group training.

With a little over four months to go before the start of the Olympic Games, the team will be training out of Florida before relocating to Marion, Illinois in May to continue with their preparations.

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The Canadian squad has arranged a series of games in Florida. Canada will play Florida SouthWestern State College this and next Sunday, 27 March and 3 April, and will face the University of Florida on 10 April, in a 10-inning exhibition game. A full game schedule is currently being developed and more details will be provided at a later date.

Canada, one of only five nations to play in all four editions of softball at the Olympic Games, will start their fifth Olympic campaign against Mexico, on 21 July in Fukushima. Canada will be looking for their first-ever Olympic medal in softball.