(Univeristy of Regina Softball/Facebook)

By Ben Tompkins

Rookie Redo

Melfort local returning to action after emergency surgery recovery

Aug 25, 2022 | 4:24 PM

Melfort native, Saige Tondell, is entering her second season with the University of Regina Cougar’s women’s softball team, yet she’s signed as a rookie.

This is possible because Tondell got her first year with the team massively shortened after undergoing an emergency appendix surgery before she had even played her first game.

The night before the club’s last practice, she was having a lot of pain while running and later that night, she woke up in a cold sweat.

The next morning she drove herself to the hospital, they did some tests and discovered her appendix had been ruptured for roughly eight months and went into surgery five minutes later.

Fast forward about a month, after recovering both in the hospital and at home, she was back with her team and supporting them on the sidelines.

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This left her forced to redshirt the rest of the season because she was out of commission, however, it didn’t stop her from attending as many practices as she could and even travelling with the organization to playoffs and then nationals in Kelowna as a fan.

While some may have viewed this as a setback, Tondell told northeastNOW she’s taken a different approach and appreciated the time she’s already got to spend with her teammates.

“I’ve had a chance to experience the University of Regina culture, and be a part of the team… I was so so sad that I couldn’t play but when I came back, everybody on the team was so supportive and they were very happy to hear that I was okay.”

The team welcomed Tondell back but also acknowledged her much need healing time, she said.

“They were just a really awesome atmosphere to be in.”

She has continued to train with the club over the winter and said she feels 100 per cent and is back in game shape.

Going more than a year without playing an actual game and getting the competitive taste back, though lots of practices, she explained how big of an itch she is feeling to be a part of a match, once again.

“I can’t wait to play, I have been waiting for this for a year,” she said. “I am so excited to be out on the field and show off the skills that I’ve learned from this team. I just can’t wait to be a part of that atmosphere on the field during a game, I think it’s just going to be a really great experience this year.”

Tondell began playing softball when she was five years old, with her mom being her very first coach.

She went on to play under the Melfort Minor Softball Association until her final year of U19, which included a couple of stops with the 222’s Fastpitch program.

She added how she couldn’t have gone through this past year or her entire career, where she now represents her province at the USports level, without her family or her hometown community.

“I love Melfort’s program, I love the community. I always had such a great team in that group and we were always really close, which was really awesome. They’re a lot of fun to play with,” said Tondell.

“I definitely wouldn’t be where I am without my parents and coaches…They’ve all shaped me to be who I am today and got me to this point and I am beyond grateful for all of the experiences that I’ve had with them.”

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter @BenTompkins_8