Whitecap hosts Canadian Native Fastball Championships

After several close attempts in recent years, an Alberta-based women’s team has recaptured its national fastball crown.

The Red Nation Jets, based in Alexis, Alta., won the women’s division at this year’s Canadian Native Fastball Championships, which concluded on Aug. 1.

The Whitecap Dakota Nation hosted the three-day tournament, attracting 70 teams. For the Jets, it was their first national title since 2003. The club had placed second in each of the three previous national tournaments. And it had also placed third four years ago. The Jets were rather dominant this year, winning all six of their tournament games. The squad thumped a Saskatoon-area team called AMI Pride 17-0 in its final match. The game against the Pride was called after just three innings due to a mercy rule. The Jets also registered some other lopsided victories. “In our six games we scored 65 runs and allowed just six runs,” said Jets’ manager Tony Alexis.

“That’s amazing. You don’t usually see numbers like that.” The fact the Jets were so successful at the nationals is somewhat of a surprise considering the team does not play together at any other points during the season and features players from various parts of the country.

“We had people from everywhere coming to play,” Alexis said. The Jets’ 14-player roster this season included just three players from the Alexis Nakota Sioux First Nation. They were Shannon Alexis, Stephanie Alexis and Jesse Letendre. The club also included six other players from various parts of Alberta.

And the club also had three players from Ontario as well as one player from British Columbia and one from Nova Scotia. As their team successes have proven, Tony Alexis said the Jets are more than capable of jelling quickly and playing well together just at the nationals.

“You just put your team together and go out there and compete,” said Alexis, who besides recruiting players for his side also relies on some of his players to find others they deem good enough to play on the talented team.
As it turned out, the Jets’ closest game at this year’s tournament, which featured a double-knockout format, was their first one, when they beat the Pride 4-1.

A total of 22 teams participated in the women’s division at the nationals. Despite their close calls in recent years, the Jets were not necessarily the pre-tournament favourites. “One of the teams we were looking out for was the Northern Lights (from Manitoba),” Alexis said.

“They had won four consecutive titles.” The Jets managed to defeat the Northern Lights 7-1 in their fourth game at the tournament.

As for the men’s division, Alberta’s Siksika Rebels won their third straight national championship. The Rebels downed the KDC Braves, from Invermere, B.C., 3-1 in their final.

The men’s category featured 32 clubs from across the country. Meanwhile,  a pair of masters divisions (for those 40 and over) had also been planned for the nationals. Due to a lack of entries, however, the women’s division was not held. But Manitoba’s Sapotawekay won the men’s grouping, which featured eight participating clubs.