Time to make history

Cape Breton softball team becomes first-ever full-Indigenous club to represent Nova Scotia at masters fast pitch championship

For the first time in Nova Scotia history, a full-Indigenous softball team will represent the province at the 2018 Canadian Men’s Masters Fast Pitch Championship this week.

The Mi’kmaq All-Stars, comprised of athletes from three First Nations communities including Indian Brook, Eskasoni and We’koqma’q, will participate in the five-day tournament, beginning Wednesday in St. Croix, N.S.

In a press release from Softball Nova Scotia, Eldon Gould, captain of the All-Stars, said softball is more than just a sport in Nova Scotia’s Indigenous communities.

“Each summer, members of the First Nations communities come together to compete with each other, and this is their way of keeping in contact and building relationships with the other First Nations communities,” said Gould. “The community is very proud and supportive that there will be a senior men’s team that will be representing their First Nations communities.”

The club may be the first full Indigenous team to represent the province in the nationals, but the group isn’t new to the sport. The team plays in the Cape Breton fast pitch league.

“The Indigenous senior men’s teams have been keeping softball alive in Cape Breton for many years,” said Gould. “In fact, in the men’s division, there are only two teams in Cape Breton that are non-native teams.”

The Mi’kmaq All-Stars are not the only team from Cape Breton that will participate in the tournament. The Chants Funeral Home Cardinals are also scheduled to play in the event.

The All-Stars and Cardinals will open the tournament against each other, today at 6:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, the All-Stars’ will continue the round robin with games against Alberta on Thursday and Saskatchewan on Friday, before finishing the schedule against Ontario Saturday morning.

As for the Cardinals, the team will play a pair of games on Thursday when they face Ontario and Saskatchewan. The club will also play on Friday against Alberta.

The games will be played at the St. Croix Recreation Park in Hants County.

All games will be streamed live online at www.softball.ca/ mens.

The championship game is scheduled for Sunday at 1:45 p.m.