ADMASTON/BROMLEY — Liz Cobb’s once-in-a-lifetime event has arrived.
Next month, the 53-year-old mother of two will be travelling to the Gold Coast of Australia to participate in the Pan Pacific Master Games. She is one of 14 women on the Ontario Strong Ladies Fastball team, the only Canadian fastball team registered for the 10-day tournament.
The Games will be held November 2 through 11 in Queensland, Australia. It’s expected more than 13,000 athletes from more than 30 countries will converge on one of the most popular holiday destinations to compete in the world’s biggest and best biennial masters games, said Petawawa’s Pam Behnke-Van Hoof, one of the organizers of the team. There are more than 40 sports at the Masters.
Ontario Strong will be competing in the Open Division, 45+ years old.
Back in March, Cobb received a phone call from Behnke-Van Hoff asking if she would like to be on the team. She was interested, but with a lot of responsibilities at home, Cobb said she had to think about it for a bit. Her son Connor, while an adult, is mentally challenged, her father is in a nursing home and not doing very well, plus she has an adult daughter Allie and husband Larry, along with her job as a forester with Ottawa Valley Forest, which manages Crown land forests.
“I’ve had to learn how to balance work, family and now this lovely opportunity,” she said.
One of the big factors for Cobb to say yes was realizing this is a life-time event and probably a last opportunity for her.
The last time she played for a national team was in 1985-86, and that was touch football.
“I’ve never competed internationally,” Cobb said. “What an opportunity.”
Once she made the commitment to be part of the team, Cobb has not looked back. While she is active because of her job, playing sports has not been as much a part of her adult life as it was when she was younger. She joined a ball team in McNab/Braeside and has been playing all summer. But, she’s not new to fastball. In her younger days she played ladies fastball, and when the league shut down, she moved to softball. However, her knees couldn’t handle it and she eventually had to give it up.
But, with an opportunity to play ball internationally, Cobb said with a laugh, “Voltaren has become my new best friend.” Voltaren is used to relieve pain, swelling (inflammation), and joint stiffness. It is a topical ointment rubbed into the pained area.
Cobb said she has had to change her way of thinking to become a better fastball player, especially now that she is older.
“I have to remember my body can’t do what my mind wants to do,” she said with a laugh. “I have to play smarter.”
As an example, as an outfielder Cobb used to just run in whichever direction the ball was hit. However, she has learned how to read a play, which comes with experience, so she can get a better idea of where she believes the ball is going to go so she get set up better.
It’s also important to use the tools that are available, such as wearing glasses due to a depth-of-field problem. Cobb said when she started playing ball, she was having trouble connecting the bat with the ball. When it was suggested she wear glasses, she scoffed at the idea. But, not for long. She now wears glasses when playing ball and hits more often than misses.
To get to the Masters games, which they must pay for themselves the team is holding various fundraisers, Cobb said. There have already been trivia, bid euchre and sip-and-sign nights and a golf tournament. Ongoing fundraisers include selling raffle tickets on a barrel of booze, and selling Purdy chocolates and two litre maple syrup jugs.
Any of the current fundraisers can be purchased from Cobb as she’s out and about or at the Saturday morning Cobden Farmers Market where she works in the kitchen. There’s also the Ontario Strong facebook page where messages can be left, she added.
Cobb noted the team has also been fortunate to have team sponsors: Whitewater Brewery, Re/Max Pembroke Realty, M. Sullivan & Son Ltd (Arnprior), and Marchwood Systems and Integration Corp.
Cobb said while this is amateur sports, it’s still very competitive. And, at her age, she said, “The competitiveness never goes away, you just learn be to be more realistic about what you can do.”
She’s hopeful of proving to women they can remain active later into life.
“There is fitness past high school,” she said. “Just because you hit 45 doesn’t mean you have to stop being competitive. It can be a way of life.
“It is great to promote fitness and to stay competitive as long as you can,” Cobb continued. “Most of us have put our lives on hold for our kids and it is nice to focus on ourselves.”
And this proves, a lifetime opportunity can happy at any time, Cobb said.
Ontario Strong Ladies Fastball team members are Cobb (Cobden), Behnke-Van Hoof (Petawawa), Joey Duquette (Petawawa), Chrissy LaForce (Arnprior), Chris Dewer (Carp), Donna Price (Almonte), Michelle Beale (Arnprior), Michelle MacDowal (Arnprior), Kathy McCullough (Ottawa), Brenda Brown (Innerkip), Shyanne Stockie (Stratford), Shelley Graul (Brunner), Rochelle Heudes (Trenton) and Renee Michiels (Ayr). Team members are between the ages of 46 and 58. To read their profiles, go to the team’s facebook page.
