Emma Entzminger grew up playing softball on diamonds around Greater Victoria. She could be performing on one in Tokyo next year.
With that goal in mind, Entzminger swings into the biggest summer of her career with the Canadian women鈥檚 national team.
It began Tuesday night in the sa国际传媒 Cup, which is running this week at Softball City in Surrey. It will continue through the 2019 Pan Am Games tournament Aug. 4-10 in Lima, Peru, and the Americas regional qualifier Aug. 25 to Sept. 1 at Softball City for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
One of those is clearly more important than the others.
鈥淓verything is geared to the Olympic qualifier,鈥� said Entzminger, who came out of the baseball/softball academy at Lambrick Park Secondary.
The national team has been together as a group since May. Playing in the Illinois-based National Pro Fastpitch League as Canadian Wild, the team went 16-13.
鈥淭hat is top-calibre U.S. competition and it really challenged us,鈥� Entzminger said.
It has meant total focus on one quest.
鈥淚 knew I had to do this full time and made that commitment,鈥� said Entzminger, who played four seasons in NCAA Div. 1 for the San Jose State Spartans. She graduated in 2018 with a degree in kinesiology.
鈥淚 am not pursuing any other jobs. That can wait. I am 100 per cent committed to this and we鈥檒l see what happens.鈥�
Should sa国际传媒 qualify for Tokyo 2020, it would mean another year of full commitment. But that is something any athlete would do to become an Olympian.
There鈥檚 a good chance of that happening. sa国际传媒 is ranked No. 3 in the world. The No. 2-ranked Japanese national squad is in as the host country for Tokyo 2020.
The top-ranked U.S. qualified directly for the 2020 Summer Games by winning the 2018 world championship, so it won鈥檛 compete in the Americas regional Olympic qualifier in Surrey.
鈥淥ur national team has such cohesion on the diamond and we are so open with each other off the field. It allows us to perform under pressure. We are ready for anything,鈥� Entzminger said.
As a utility player, the useful five-foot-six dynamo can be inserted into any situation on the field. 鈥淚 will do whatever it takes to help the team win,鈥� Entzminger said.
sa国际传媒鈥檚 head coach is Nova Scotia native and former Victoria Senior 鈥楢鈥� men鈥檚 pitching great Mark Smith.
鈥淢ark is passionate and holds us to a high standard,鈥� Entzminger said.
鈥淓verybody looks up to him because he has been through it at the highest level.鈥�
Host sa国际传媒 opened the sa国际传媒 Cup on Tuesday in Surrey against Britain. Its schedule continues today against Alberta鈥檚 Calahoo Erins and New Zealand Major Sox, on Thursday against Chinese Taipei, and Friday against Triple Crown Colorado. The playoffs and medal rounds will be held on the weekend.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an incredible opportunity, and one that I am grateful for, to wear the Maple Leaf in front of friends and family,鈥� Entzminger said.
