This past spring, Mount Royal University did not have a fastpitch team – and neither did five former SAIT Trojans players.
Abby Kozak, Maryenne Babineau, and three other women who study at MRU played fastpitch for SAIT due to the absence of an MRU team.
But unexpectedly, new policies at SAIT drove all MRU students and players out of the program.
Kozak and Babineau took matters into their own hands, coming up with the pitch for an MRU women’s fastpitch team. Their idea was approved immediately by the university, but this was only the tip of the iceberg.
Fundraising, budgeting, and zoom meetings took place during the course of May to August, but halfway through the process they took steps backwards.
“It was extremely challenging,” says Kozak. “We had limited time to get the team ready to go for the season, and our coaches were denied mid-summer.”
Kozak and Babineau were forced to embark on an interviewing journey in the midst of creating their team to find new coaches and were unsure if they would meet the deadline to play.
“We’ve had to do it all by ourselves which has been challenging, especially with only three months to get it all together. But we did it, together,” says Babineau.
Kozak says it was a major relief to see the club come together after four months of nonstop work along with her personal life. She feels a lifting sense of pride to know that she gave her teammates a place to play.
MRU finished seventh in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) with a record of 5-19 and look forward to building a new legacy as the newest member of the league.