PORT HAWKESBURY: For the second time in her life, Brooke Hawley is preparing to represent Nova Scotia at the Canada Summer Games.
“I’m very excited,” Hawley said, speaking to The Reporter last Sunday from the campus of the University of Prince Edward Island.
The 19-year-old Port Hood native is a first-year student at the school. She’s studying kinesiology, and she’s also busy training for action this summer with the Nova Scotia Women’s Fastpitch team.
“The last time I went, I was younger and didn’t expect to play as much,” she said. “This time, hopefully I’ll get even more playing time.”
The big trip for the girls will come in late July, as the 2017 Canada Summer Games will take place in Winnipeg from July 28 to August 13. However, that’s not the only travel in the future for Nova Scotia’s finest.
“We’re going to Florida at the beginning of June for a training camp, and we’re going to Quebec and Buffalo before the Canada Games,” she said.
The time in Florida will be spent in Fort Myers, where the girls will spend a week refining their game through a training program. The stops in Quebec and Buffalo will include some time on the field against high-caliber teams. There will also be some Maritime tournaments where the girls see action, prior to the Games.
Hawley said it’s an honour to be selected to represent the province, especially at something as large as the Canada Games. Of course, there is a certain expense attached to the trip – not to mention the trips before it. All players are required to fundraise $4400 to pay for the trips, tournaments, games, etc.
One of the main ways Hawley is raising cash is through a gofundme page. Anyone interested in chipping in a little money to help out is welcome to visit her corner of the World Wide Web: www.gofundme.com/brookes-trip-to-canada-games.
Hawley, who was the all-star shortstop during her last visit to the games, said she’s appreciative of any support that comes her way.