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Saint Louis University fifth-year outfielder Gabbie Kowalik was a member of the T.C. Colorado team that claimed the silver medal at this summer's Canada Cup Women's International Softball Championship in Surrey, British Columbia.
 
Twelve teams, divided into two 6-team round-robin groups, participated in the Canada Cup. T.C. Colorado competed in the Red Division with Team USA – which included Kowalik's twin sister, the University of Kentucky's Kayla Kowalik – Czech Republic, Chinese Taipei, Aussie Spirit and Korea.
 
T.C. Colorado and Team USA tied for first place in the Red Division with 4-1 records; a victory over Team USA earned T.C. Colorado the division's top spot for the tournament's championship playoff.
 
The playoff featured the top four teams from both round-robin divisions. T.C. Colorado topped the Netherlands in the opening round and defeated Team USA again in the second round to earn a spot in the final. However, Team USA emerged from the loser's bracket and downed T.C. Colorado in the gold-medal game.
 
Following the tournament, Kowalik took time to respond to a few questions about her experience.
 
Q: In your first international competitive experience, what did you find were the biggest differences in the way the game was played (field, rules, etc.)?

Kowalik: The field felt a lot larger than we typically see in the United States, international play uses a safety base, and the ball was a bit heavier. None of these had a huge impact on the game from my end, mostly just bigger outfield gaps that came into play a time or two. The biggest difference that I felt impacted play were the pitching rules. In international play, you are allowed to do things that would be considered illegal in the U.S. The international pitchers often jump (crow hop) off the mound, which gives hitters a different perspective. Pitchers are a lot closer when they release the ball, and in turn, there is less reaction time for you to decide whether to swing at a pitch or not.
 
Also, there were some pretty obvious differences in play across the world. Chinese Taipei and Korea tended to play short and choppy ball where they mainly just put the ball in play and ran. On the opposite end, the Netherlands team had strong girls who swung the bat ridiculously hard. It was cool to see how different cultures leaned into different aspects of the game to be successful. It was also fun to hear players speak different languages on the field and to see that their love for the game and their competitiveness were just as high as we experience in the United States. 
   
Q: You competed against some of the best players from not only the U.S., but also from around the world. From that experience, what do you think you can bring back to our SLU softball program?

Kowalik: We weren't expected to beat Team USA once, let alone twice. I think it shows that anyone can beat anybody at any given time, and there's something to be said for a team bond and compatibility that goes a long way. Despite having never played with each other before, let alone meet each other, the initial chemistry the team had was off the charts. In terms of mindset and competitiveness, we worked so well together because we were all on the same page from day one. We were there to have fun but also to prove something. You could bring in the best players from across the country and if they don't mesh together, they are not going to perform well. Last year at SLU we had good team chemistry, even with such a big freshman class. This year we are still relatively young, although we bring back three seniors from last year (myself included). We have a lot of returning and incoming talent, and when we all can see the same finish line, we have a chance to have an incredible season.  
 
Q: Your team beat Team USA twice and qualified to face them again in the Gold Medal game. What was your approach in those games, especially since you were more familiar with the USA players than the international athletes?
 
Kowalik: We approached pool play wanting to end as a one or two seed in our pool. We went in knowing Team USA is the top-ranked team in the world and that they were expected to be in the final game. When we played them in pool, although everyone wanted to win, we weren't necessarily concerned if we lost. It was a game we were willing to give up in pool play knowing that our end goal was to face them again in the final with our best foot forward. We were in it for the long haul and didn't want to put everything we had out in the open in our first game against them. Given this was one of the first couple of games we had played together, our main goal was to familiarize ourselves with their game play and keep growing our connection as a team.
 
Going into the first game, a lot of the girls were honestly excited to be playing Team USA. The USA pitching style was something we were a lot more familiar with, and we had more of a scout on them regarding what pitches they throw. Some girls on my team had played the Team USA pitchers multiple times, or they were their teammates in college, so that was a huge advantage on our side. We won the first game on a walk-off hit-by-pitch of all things, and taking game one from them was a crazy feeling. Knowing you just competed against the No. 1 team in the world and beat them – it was a rush of emotions that just doesn't come around on any regular day or after any regular win.
 
Game two against them was a bracket game, and we went in way more comfortable as a team and with a lot less nervousness. We knew we had the capability and talent to not only compete with them, but beat them, which we did for a second time (it felt even better than the first). It was unfortunate that they ended up taking the third game, but it's Team USA. We knew they'd come out swinging and have a lot more to prove than we did. It was still a great game, and we were the only team in the tournament who I would say gave them a true game.

Q: Your teammates were from various universities around the country, and with the success of your team, you bonded quickly. What team-culture attributes stood out to you on this team, and how can you implement some of the development of those bonds at SLU?
 
Kowalik: I think we were successful because we were given an environment in which to flourish. From the minute we got in, the coaching staff was extremely welcoming and provided an environment where every player was able to be herself. The team stayed in two Airbnb's which allowed us to form bonds quickly by being around each other every day. The theme of the weekend was to have fun, get to know each other, and play good ball. Everyone there was not only extremely talented, but also humble and genuine. It was hard not to like the girls from the get-go, which makes playing that much more enjoyable. It's also a lot easier to compete, and in my opinion, compete well, behind a team with a strong connection. 
 
These bonds were created by similar interests and similar feelings of excitement, nervousness and competitiveness. Most of us had never been out of the country before, or played internationally, and to experience something so new for the first time together definitely jump-started the trust and connection we had with each other. The team was the team; there wasn't anything that could be changed about it, and we accepted that from the beginning. We leaned into the weekend and each other with no second thoughts. If any player had been hesitant or second guessed why she or someone else was there, we would not have been as successful as we were. 
 
All these experiences relate to bonding with our SLU team as well, and I'm excited to develop those this upcoming year.
 
Q: Could you share a few memorable moments from the Canada Cup and why they stuck out to you? 

Kowalik: It would be a disservice to start with anything except the donuts!!! There was a donut stand within the complex that served mini donuts, and I don't think I could give even a rough estimate of how many I consumed in the week I was there. Every time we hit a home run, the staff would go out and get a couple of bags for us to eat. I might have run out to the field with a mouthful of them once or twice. 
 
Another memorable aspect of playing in Canada was interacting with the teams before a game. We would line up, listen to each team's national anthem, and then shake hands and exchange pins with the other team. It was incredibly cool interacting and speaking with girls from all around the world who were brought together through softball.
 
I was also blessed to have my family come see me and my sister play. I had not seen my brothers since Christmas, and it was awesome having all four of us together, especially in a different country. I played right field in Canada, which happened to be next to a set of bleachers where my brothers would sit so they could talk to me between innings. Jocelyn Alo was up to bat, and she hit a fly ball in foul territory that was a decent run considering there wasn't much foul territory to begin with. My brother CJ was yelling at me the whole time telling me I had room. I remember catching that ball, and we looked at each other with the biggest smiles on our faces. Being far from home, it's not often my brothers get to watch me play, but the obvious support they have for me and my sister is incredible. That small moment probably was something no one else noticed, but it was up there for me for a top moment in Canada. 

Other significant on-field moments include the three times I stepped on the field and competed against my sister. As much as I would have preferred to play with her and not against her, especially since she made my last out of the tournament, it was super cool and something that I never thought I'd get to experience again. 

Q: Could you share a few memorable "Canadian" experiences, from culture to cuisine to countryside?
 
Kowalik: We weren't dealt the best schedule in Canada, so most of the countryside we explored was close to where we were staying. We walked the longest pier in Canada, which was gorgeous, and spent an afternoon on Crescent Beach – so beautiful as we could see the Vancouver skyline! We watched a bit of cricket, which is really popular, and some of the girls on our team got to take a swing or two which was fun to watch. 
 
In terms of food, I tried several Canadian staples that I had never heard of before. Smarties, for example, are powdered candy tablets in the United States, whereas in Canada these are known as Rockets. Their Smarties are chocolate! Canada also sells ketchup chips that taste exactly like Whataburger ketchup; if you haven't tried Whataburger, you need to get down to the South because you are missing out. 
 
Q: Any final thoughts on the experience?
 
Kowalik: Do things outside your comfort zone and trust yourself! I'm still getting better about that as I get older, but "freshman me" probably wouldn't have said yes to this opportunity. Even now, I remember when I first was asked if I would like to be a part of this team and compete in the Canada Cup, I was worried about playing and second-guessing if it was something I felt capable of doing. This ended up being one of the absolute coolest experiences of my life, and I'm so glad I said yes. I would have missed out on an incredible experience if I had doubted my skills or who I was.