Grande Prairie’s own “Lady Degenerates” slo-pitch team is heading to nationals with big hopes of making a mark on the Canadian stage.
The team qualified for nationals after a superstar performance in Leduc during the provincial championship. Now, the Lady Degenerates’ eyes are on the prize when they head to the national competition in Saskatoon.
Natasha Hamelin, a player and representative of the Lady Degenerates says the competition means so much to both her team and the local slo-pitch community as a whole.
“We’re really excited to represent Grande Prairie and Alberta,” she says. “The Lady Degenerates also compete in the Kakwa Ladies Slo-Pitch League and that’s every Wednesday with 13 teams and plans to grow.”
The Lady Degenerates consists of a team of players between the ages of 23 and 50, with an average age of 39, which Hamelin says only serves to drive the team further as they compete against teams much younger than them.
“We’re excited to show other teams that us older gals still have it.”
“For me personally, I like to show my kids that even as an adult, I can participate in sports, we’re all moms so I think we set a good example for the youth that we’re still staying active and we’re still taking time for ourselves because we often put ourselves last,” she says. “We’ve competed against teams that are a lot younger than us and we still got it out there on the diamond.”
To help offset the costs associated with sending the team to nationals, the Lady Degenerates have organized a fundraiser to be held on June 13th at The Den.
The night will include a $35 buffet dinner during the Oilers game, and a silent auction to help raise money to send the Degenerates to Saskatoon. Tickets will be available at the door.
