Chelsea Leonew started playing softball when she was only five and hasn't looked back since.
Encouraged to play by her father Darcy, Leonew, along with fellow Humboldt natives Carissa Wempe and Rebecca Athmer, will be traveling to Leduc, Alta. July 24-28 for the Under 21 Western Canadian Softball Championships. All three now live in Saskatoon and will be competing for the Saskatoon Erical Eclipse, who qualified for the western championships at the provincial event July 5-7 in Unity.
Leonew, Wempe and Athmer spent much of their youth playing for the Humboldt Thunder and, at least in Leonew's case, never really considered playing another sport.
"I did dance a little bit, but only outside of softball season," she said. "There was a bit of a rivalry between soccer girls and softball girls because the seasons were at the same time."
Now 21, Leonew's softball season often begins with indoor training in January or February and doesn't finish until late July or early August. "Right before provincials we played ball 10 days straight," Leonew said. It can be a demanding schedule, but one she obviously enjoys.
Next year Leonew may have to move up to the senior division, where women as old as 45 and 50 can play. She's a long way from that age, but hopes to still be playing 20 or 30 years from now.
In the meantime there's a championship to be won. If the Eclipse can pull it off, they'll owe a lot of their success to Humboldt.
