BIENFAIT - It's been a memorable summer for Bienfait softball star Raivyn Millions.
It started when Millions was part of the Saskatchewan 222s entry at the recent Canada Cup Women's International competition in Surrey, B.C. in early July. The 222s, based out of Saskatoon, were selected to play, and Millions, an outfielder and a long-time member of the 222s, was invited to join them.
"Caroline Chartrand from Weyburn actually decided to throw the idea … to the twos program, and they decided to take the opportunity. We just kind of threw a team together last minute. It was an email sent out to people who were long-time members of the program to see who was interested," Millions said in an interview with the Mercury.
It came together about five weeks before they left for B.C., she said, and it proved to be an awesome opportunity.
The 222s played teams from six different countries. They opened with a 7-0 loss to Triple Crown Colorado, a team that Millions said is essentially a feeder team for the U.S. national softball program; they had players who had just been at the College World Series. Colorado lost to Team Canada in the final.
Then the 222s won 8-5 over Chinese Taipei – a team that was ranked third in the world before the tournament.
Two losses followed, 5-2 against Australia and 5-3 against Czechia, but the 222s recovered to trounce Greece 8-2 in their final round-robin game.
The 222s tournament ended in a 4-1 loss to Israel in the playoffs.
"They want the best teams possible to go out there and represent their countries themselves, so we got the awesome opportunity to go out there and show what the 2s program is made of, and how we can compete with all of the national teams around the world," said Millions.
One of the moments that stood out to Millions was shaking hands with opposing national team members who had the Olympic rings tattooed on their arms or hands.
"Getting to experience playing against past Olympians or upcoming Olympians was absolutely incredible. The atmosphere, the competition itself, it was just amazing to get to play on the same field against them," said Millions.
Initially she was starstruck, but she realized she could compete against them.
"It was pretty amazing to have gone into the tournament as way underdogs … and actually qualify for the playoff round, and make top four in our pool," said Millions.
Millions is also part of the Saskatoon Tigers women's A fastpitch team. A new team comprised largely of 222s' alumni, she said it was great to play with them once again. They finished third at a recent provincial tournament – the same one in which the Carnduff-based Southeast Steelers finished second.
The rest of Millions' summer will be spent coaching with the 222s program and providing individual lessons to help the next generation improve.
Millions spent two years at Spoon River College in Canton, Ill., where she played softball while studying nursing. She has since transferred to Minot State University, where she will continue to pursue her nursing degree while playing the sport she loves.
"I've got two years left of softball eligibility and two years left in my nursing degree," she said.
Millions came to the sport relatively late, as she started when she was 10 years old, and hasn't stopped since. She started playing youth softball in Oxbow, and then joined provincial teams, playing for the Southeast Hawks and the Southeast Supernovas. In her Grade 12 year, she moved away from home to play for the Saskatoon Selects program, and she also played for the Prairie Renegades, winning a provincial title in their only season of existence.
She also played extensively for the 222s program.
"I really love the competitive atmosphere of it. The whole game can change within one second, one pitch, one hit, one error, one play. The whole game, it's never solidified on who's the winner and who's going to take the game.
"But I also love the team connection as well. I've met many of my best friends, my mentors, my role models, through this sport. So, it's been pretty cool to maintain those connections through softball and then get to know people on another personal level, too."
