University of Minnesota Athletics
Summer Update: Groenewegen Winning Gold
8/3/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
In the latest summer update we caught up with Sara Groenewegen about what her experience at the Pan American games was like and what she is up to the rest of the summer.
Gopher Sports: You have been busy since the last time we caught up for an update helping Canada win bronze at the Canadian Open and Gold at the Pan American Games going 7-0 on the mound between the two. Can you talk about your success internationally this summer?
Sara Groenewegen: Being a part of Team Canada for yet another summer is a blessing itself. I honestly did not even notice that I went undefeated this summer but that just goes to show how cohesive we are as a pitching staff. All summer a strength of ours has been our pitching and I am glad I could contribute to that. As a group, the pitchers would set goals and I feel that since those goals were so similar to the ones I had at school that my transition from the Gophers to Team Canada was very smooth.
GS: What was it like to pick up the win in the Gold Medal Game over Team USA?
SG: Winning gold at the Pan American games is definitely a highlight in my softball career, and the fact that it was against the Americans makes it even sweeter. Team Canada has not won the gold medal at the Pan Ams since 1983, and the U.S. has one every other time. I am so proud to be a part of that. All week we played for sold out crowds and we definitely gave them something to cheer for. I am very honored that I was trusted to start the gold medal game and I am happy that I gave my team the chance to win.
GS: What was the overall experience of being at the Pan American Games like? Besides winning gold is there any favorite memory or part that sticks out to you?
SG: Being at the Pan Ams is the closest I will get to be to the Olympics unless it is reinstated for 2020 (fingers crossed). I keep telling my friends and family that we were so spoiled there just for being athletes. One of my favorite things besides playing was just the atmosphere in the Athletes Village. Us athletes and coaches were secluded away in our own little neighborhood, yet it was right in downtown Toronto just a couple minutes away from CN tower. We had our own Canada house, which was in the middle of the village right by the dining hall and all the other countries were placed in other apartment buildings in the surrounding area. There was street hockey exclusively in the Canada House lounge, which I thought was pretty funny. My teammates and I played a little on our day off.
Another cool thing in the village was the fact that there was a games room where all athletes from all countries could hang out. There were pool tables, ping pong tables, air hockey tables, arcade basketball nets… the choices were endless. We could also watch our competitors on the TVs in the game room. I also enjoyed the fact that my teammates and I were able to experience other sports while we were there. A few of us did go watch beach volleyball on a beautiful day and then we also got to venture off to watch our men’s baseball team. We also got to watch the men’s softball championship where Canada ended up winning. Watching our men win the gold was just another inspiration for us to win; we wanted to know what it felt like.
After winning the gold medal game the field crew came up to us and told us that they had hid a loonie (a dollar coin) under home plate and in the pitchers mound for good luck. They let us dig it up. The field crew was amazing all week and that just topped everything off. I think that it was an awesome idea and we really appreciated them doing something special for us.
GS: What have you taken away from this summer that will help you going forward into another college season for the Gophers?
SG: Playing another summer with the Canadian national team has allowed me to gain more experience. I can take away the fact that I am able to succeed at the highest level and I can go into my next season as a gopher ready to take on any challenge.
Playing at the Pan Ams was also very eye-opening in the fact that there are so many people behind the scenes that do not get enough credit. For example, there apparently were five volunteers per every athlete at the games and they were all so happy and excited to be there. They all worked so hard with nothing expected in return and the games were very well run. So going into next season I will remind myself how important those people are and to be more thankful for them.
GS: Do you get some time to rest now? Any plans for the little bit of summer you have left?
SG: I get a good two weeks off before I am back on campus and my calendar is very full! I actually just went paddle boarding at White Rock Beach last night and I am going up to Whistler Mountain this upcoming weekend because it is a long weekend. While I am up there I think we are going zip lining through the mountains, swimming at the lake and then experiencing the Whistler Olympic Village that is there from when Vancouver hosted the Olympics in 2010.
When I get back from there I am going to spend as much time as I can with my friends here because I won’t be able to see them until Christmas time. I am actually doing a two day trip to downtown Vancouver and doing a ‘tourist in my own city’ type of thing. I have lived here my whole life but I never have experienced all the city has to offer, so I am very excited to do that. There are a ton of things to do here so I am going to try and do as many as I can before I leave. This is the most summer holiday time off from softball that I have ever had so I am going to try to get out of my house as much as I can!
Below our some pictures from Sara's summer! 
