Two men from St. Albert have been selected to represent Canada at a slo-pitch tournament in January.
Jessy Beley, who was born and raised in St. Albert, is a lifelong baseball and eventually slo-pitch player. He and fellow St. Albertan Bo Meiklejohn, have been picked to attend the USSSA Challenge Cup, which takes place in Vierra, Florida in January.
Both Beley and Meiklejohn have an extensive background in the sport of baseball before eventually becoming slo-pitch players.
“I grew up playing baseball for the St. Albert Cardinals. I was fortunate enough to go to six national championships,” Beley said. “I went down and played college ball in the states in Iowa. And then ultimately played, I think 9-10 years with the St. Albert Tigers. So baseball’s always been in my background.”
His switch from baseball to slo-pitch has taken place in the last 15 years, but he said that he’s only been playing it competitively the last 10 years.
Meiklejohn grew up playing tee-ball and played baseball until he was "about 25 for college," he said. He estimates that he is currently in his fifth year of slo-pitch. "The last three years I started getting picked up and I'm currently on the Alberta Cardinals which is the top team in Alberta," he said.
This will be Meiklejohn's second time playing for Canada at the Challenge Cup after being selected for last year's tournament.
"It was an amazing experience. You get to play all the top teams for each state in the U.S. and see what the actual level is down there," Meiklejohn said.
In the tournament, each U.S. state puts forth a team of their top players. Team Canada is divided into regions. Beley and Meiklejohn have been selected for Team Western Canada, which Beley says comprises players from Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan. The tournament format is double knockout, meaning that if a team loses twice they’re out.
Being selected to represent Canada in the tournament is a dream come true for Beley.
“I’ve always had a goal of making Team Canada,” he said. “For me, it’s a great opportunity to play with some great ball players. I always felt I could play at this level, coming up from my baseball days, and it’s kind of nice now to have a chance to do it on the softball field.”
For Meiklejohn, his selection is a chance at to bounce back, as his first time around didn't go according to plan.
"Unfortunately, as a team, it didn't go so well. I think we only won two out of six games that we played," he said. "A little disadvantage for us as we're stuck here for the winter and everyone's kind of all spread out through so it's hard to practice as a team."
"I'm definitely hoping we'll be able to get more games in this year," he continued.
Due to the cold climate in Canada, there isn’t the opportunity to play outside year-round. Beley’s training mostly consists of time in the gym, indoor facilities and trying to get games in where he can.
“There is an indoor league out on the Southside in the soccer dome that I’m trying to get a couple games in,” he said.
The heat is something Meiklejohn recalled specifically from his last time out at the tournament.
"Florida's super humid. So, we won our first game but it kind of I think taxed everyone," he said. "And then we were kind of tired for the rest of it."
Much like Beley, Meiklejohn is training in what ways he can due to the freezing cold weather in Canada. He spends time in the gym and plays at the Edmonton Soccer Dome, which is helpful for getting actual game experience in the winter.
"It's big enough to have two fields so you can actually get a visual of the ball flying. So I have that and then me and my buddies go to the batting cage a few hours each week," he said.
Beley’s focus is on the upcoming Challenge Cup, but he also hopes that his selection for that tournament will propel him forward, with a goal to be selected to compete in another slo-pitch tournament, the Border Battle.
“For me, this is personally a step in hoping to get an opportunity to play for Team Canada in the Border Battle, which takes place every year in Oklahoma City, I believe. And that’s where the U.S. sends an All-Star team. So, it’s not by state, it’s the best players in the U.S. against the best players in Canada.”
If you’d like to learn more about the USSSA Challenge Cup, you can go to www.slo-pitch.com/challenge-cup
