Accomplishment is still sinking in

A group of Saskatchewan teenagers 17 to 19 years old made a bit of history by winning a national softball title. The Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) Chiefs captured the gold medal at the Canadian midget boys' softball championships.

The Chiefs are believed to be the first Native squad to even compete in a Softball Canada tournament. And the club earned a spot in the record annals by becoming the first Native side to win a national crown.

The FSIN club edged the British Columbia-based Port Alberni Blazers 2-1 in the gold-medal match, which concluded on Aug. 13 in Prince Albert.

"The thing about it is a lot of our young men don't realize the magnitude of their accomplishment," said Chiefs' coach Morley Watson. "They're just young men who love the game and play because they have a passion for the game. I think it will take a little while for it to sink in."

The Chiefs' 15-player roster included 14 individuals from nine different First Nations and one Metis player.

For the nationals, clubs were also allowed to pick up a maximum of two other players from other squads in their province. The Chiefs did bring a pair of non-Native players from a Saskatoon team.

Prior to winning the nationals, the Chiefs had other reasons to celebrate this summer. The squad was primarily put together to compete in the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) in July in Denver, Colo.

The boys' softball competition at those Games featured six clubs, all from Canada. And the Chiefs ended up winning the gold medal in that tournament.

The following week the FSIN club participated in the Saskatchewan provincial championships, which were also staged in Prince Albert. The Chiefs ended up winning the gold medal at that five-team event to advance to the nationals.

The Canadian tourney featured 12 clubs.

"Going into it we hadn't been there before so we didn't know what to expect," Watson said. "When we first got there we wanted to finish at .500. But we kind of gained momentum during the week."

The FSIN team ended up with a 6-2 round-robin record, finishing third over-all in the standings. The Chiefs then won all three of their playoff contests in the tourney.

One of the FSIN players was also singled out for his performances at the nationals. Dennis Iron, a second baseman, was named to the tournament's all-star team.

Watson said his charges did pick up some confidence prior to the nationals by winning the gold medal at NAIG.

"It showed our kids they could compete with the best teams from Canada," he said.

Watson said winning the Canadian title was more difficult than winning the NAIG gold.

"There were more teams at the nationals and you're playing more games," he said. "And the competition was probably a little bit tougher."

Before participating in Denver, the FSIN squad entered four tournaments, all in Saskatchewan.

The Chiefs ended up winning an event in Meadow Lake. The team also placed second in another event and third in another NAIG tune-up tourney.

Nine of the Chiefs' regular players will still be eligible to compete in the midget ranks in 2007.

So no doubt the club would love to have the chance to defend its crown at next year's nationals.

"That's going to be our objective," Watson said.

Despite being the reigning champs, the Chiefs will still have to try and qualify for the Canadian tournament through their provincials playdowns.

Softball Canada officials have yet to announce a site for the '07 national midget tournament.