OTTAWA – Over the weekend, Baseball Canada hosted virtual events geared towards increasing participation in baseball for women in the areas of coaching, administrative and official scoring roles.
The events were established as part of Baseball Canada's Gender Equity Committee plan and were considered an overwhelming success with over 100 women combined taking part.
“It was a privilege to be a part of this incredible discussion and connect with other enthusiastic women in baseball from across the country,” commented Baseball Canada’s June Sterling.
Over 60 women took part in Aileen Hartman’s Intermediate Scorers Training Module with attendees ranging from Victoria, BC to Gander, Newfoundland & Labrador.
Aileen calls St. Albert, Alberta home and is Vice Chair of Baseball Canada’s Scorers Committee. She recently co-authored the scorers manual which will acts as the guideline for scorers appointed to future Baseball Canada National Championships.
Her knowledge and extensive experience in scoring allowed for a fulsome discussion about standard plays while also breaking down the complexities of keeping score. By the end of the session, attendees were eager to get to a field so they could put their scoring skills to practice!
World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Technical Official Shari Reiniger, who headed to Tokyo later this year to work the Olympic baseball tournament brought her wealth of knowledge in the game to over 30 enthusiastic women from across Canada for a workshop entitled “Building Connections”.
The session focussed on administration and leadership development in baseball with a focus on creating connections, building confidence, inspiring women to make an impact while mentoring others.
By all accounts, the session was a Home Run with filled with many inspiring stories and leaving attendees and presenters alike thirsting for more similar sessions in the future.
Finally, former Women’s National Team athlete Ashley Stephenson led a pair of women only Initiation Coach Clinic training sessions with four more (two in English, two in French) to come later this month!
