A pair of talented softball players with roots in Ridge Meadows Minor Softball have been chosen to play for Team BC in the North American Indigenous Games.
The Games are coming up July 15-23 in Nova Scotia. They are held every four years, and draw 5,000 to 7,000 athletes to compete in 16 different sporting events. There are also opening and closing ceremonies, and cultural events as part of the celebration.
Brooke Wharf of Maple Ridge is a pitcher and middle infielder, while Lilly Beedle of Pitt Meadows is a catcher and outfielder.
They learned the game together in the Ridge Meadows association, and played together with the Pride 08 team last season. They have both moved on to other associations this year, and were surprised that they will once again be teammates, on a bigger stage.
Wharf is now with the Langley Extreme, and is blossoming as a thrower.
“I’ve come really far on my pitching, and my confidence has been boosted,” she said.
Her goal is to pitch in the NCAA, and she has her sights set on the University of Arizona Wildcats. Her cousin Devon Gerard attended that school on a full-ride soccer scholarship, and has gone on to become a counselor and mental performance consultant. It has inspired her younger cousin to become a scholar athlete.
“She’s a role model for me,” said Wharf, who is a Grade 9 student at Garibaldi secondary, where she is part of the softball academy.
Wharf has Cree heritage, and is part of the Aboriginal Education program, with activities like making traditional drums and food, and learning about her culture.
Beedle has moved over to the Coquitlam Classics – they were in need of a catcher, and she needed a change of scene.
She’s off to a hot start this season, and last weekend in a game she had three massive hits – a grand slam, a second homer, and a double.
That power at the plate, combined with her skills behind the plate, makes her a hot commodity as a player. She’s also a hockey player, and brings that toughness to the ball diamond.
The girls had to stand out, because there was a lot of competition for 14 positions on the team, as tryout camps were held around the province.
Beedle also would like to play college sports, eighter on the ice or the field. She is in Grade 9 at Pitt Meadows secondary.
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The team’s head coach Jay Lang said they are both great athletes, great teammates, and he likes that they are both able to slot into the lineup in multiple positions. He knows he can give them a role, and they will be able to contribute.
He said the Indigenous Games opened new doors for his own daughter, both in sports and in other unexpected areas, after she attended the Games in 2017.
“There are so many opportunities for them – we’re really excited for these players,” said Lang. “And it’s a great experience.”
Beedle has Metis ancestry, and has an interest in learning about her family history, Indigenous people, and the legacy of how their rights and freedoms were restricted by the Canadian government in the past. She said her earlier relatives would not have been allowed to travel across Canada to take part in an event to celebrate their people and culture.
“This is important, because they couldn’t have done it,” she said.
It makes her feel honoured to be part of the North American Indigenous Games.
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