ALBERTON — Jeff Ellsworth has a new role with Softball Canada’s national men’s development team this week in Florida.
Ellsworth is captain as the team prepares for the Amateur Athletic Union national softball championship, which begins Thursday in Orlando.
The Brooklyn, P.E.I., resident will be making his sixth appearance in the championship in as many years.
In last year’s tournament, Ellsworth played with the Chicago-New York Gremlins club team that defeated Softball Canada’s rookie team in the championship game.
Team Canada arrived in Orlando on Sunday.
The tournament runs until Jan. 29.
“We should probably make Sunday (Jan. 29),” Ellsworth said. “All the best of the best will definitely be there, so we’ll have to play well to make it to Sunday, but I like our chances.”
The Orlando tournament will be Ellsworth’s first game action since the Canadian championship in September, as a tournament in Mexico in November got cancelled due to security concerns.
Among the club teams attending the Florida tournament is Hill United, the team from Ontario that Ellsworth has signed to play with in 2012.
Charlottetown catcher Mark Arsenault has accepted an invitation to play with them in Florida.
It will be his first Amateur Athletic Union event.
Several national teams, including Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Argentina, will be attending.
Ellsworth has been a member of Team Canada since 2007.
He was one of the younger players when he joined but, at 34, he is now one of the senior players.
“It’s getting harder, physical-wise,” Ellsworth admitted. “You’ve got to train a lot harder to stay in shape to keep up with the younger athletes. As far as the passion and the desire, that’s all still there, and the competitiveness.” Ellsworth has been training hard at West End Elite so that he will arrive ready to compete.
Drawing on his past experience, Ellsworth said that, in his role as captain, “I can offer my advice and my opinion in a lot of different situations.”
The veteran outfielder and wily base-stealer said he hopes to stick with the national team for at least three more years.
He wants to play for Canada in the world championships in New Zealand a year from now and is looking ahead to 2015 when Toronto hosts the Pam Am Games.
