Lightning wrap up successful year

Story and Photos submitted by the London Lightning

2011 was a very successful year for the London Lightning Fastball program, which offers girls in London and surrounding areas the opportunity to play competitive fastball at the Novice, Bantam and Midget levels.

Jenna Pierce London Lightning Bantam pitcher. In the Background is 2nd baseman Katie McGinnes

We had two teams finish their seasons being ranked in the top 10 in Ontario for their divisions. Our Midget team finished their provincial’s ranked seventh in Ontario, a significant accomplishment given the competitiveness of that division. Our Novice team exceeded all expectations for the year ending up being ranked the fifth best team in Ontario for their age.

Throughout the year the London Lightning teams enjoyed many tournament awards, collecting medals in eight tournaments over the course of competitions in Ontario and the U.S.

In Grand Valley League play the Lightning also showed well. Our Novice team finished second in their league, only failing to beat Provincial Champion Guelph, while our Bantam team finished their season with a second place finish as well.  2011 marked the addition of a second Midget team to the association and that group of girls showed very well as a first year team proving to be very competitive in the Midget Tier II field. Our Midget I team played in the Tri-county league for the first time ever and finished second during the regular season.

Back Row: Bruce McGinnes, Katie McGinnes, Olivia Skillings, Rachel McGonigle, Brad Snelgrove, Miranda Wiens, Ferlin Sovereign, Jessica Dolson, Rachelle Faseruk, Jamie Clark Front Row: Jenna Pierce, Lauren Sovereign, Hayley Ousterhout, Tori Piper, Shannon Clark, Shay Cooke

In 2011 the Lightning program was fortunate enough to have two girls receive fastball scholarships. Congratulations and best of luck to Paige Poissant and Oliva Koningson as they continue their fastball careers south of the border. We would also like to congratulate the following girls who played for the Midget Tier 1 team in 2011 and have made university teams as freshmen. Jen Wakefield, Sarah Maciejewski and Kara Stirling are playing for Western, while  Kirissa Sword is playing for Windsor.     The London Lighting Fastball program also had 5 girls selected for team Ontario; Samantha Mcmahon and Sarah Maciejewski, from the Midget Tier 1 team and from the Novice team; Emily Clark, Lauren Dubie and Madi Clinton, who were among 40 girls in Ontario selected to participate in the Ontario Under 14 program.

The 2012 season will mark the 25th year for the London Lightning Association and we are proud to continue to offer competitive fastball for girls in the London and surrounding areas.

The London Lightning season starts up again with our winter workouts being held at Centrefield Sports from January 14 to March 10. The winter workout sessions have limited spots available for girls Squirt, Novice, Bantam and Midget age. Whether you’re interested in trying out for one of the teams or just looking to further develop your skills, the winter workouts are fun and cost effective. At a cost of only $100 for nine weeks, the sessions are 90 minutes in length and each girl receives a London Lightning T-shirt for participating.  For more information about our winter workout program or to learn more about the London Lightning Association please visit us at www.eteamz.com/londonlightningfastball .