GREEK
NATIONAL SOFTBALL TEAM PREPARES FOR 2004 OLYMPICS
AURORA SOFTBALL PLAYER SOLE CANADIAN ON TEAM
The
Greek National Softball Team made history this summer as it took to the
softball diamonds for the very first time.
The Greek National Team currently consists of 24 players, 14 from the
United States, 9 from Greece and 1 from Canada.
Seventeen of these players were activated to compete in
international competition this summer, including the U.S. Cup in Hawaii,
The Worth/Teamsmith International Tournament in California, The European
Softball Championships in Italy and the Greece Cup in Athens.
KRISSY
CHRISZTOPULOSZ
presents autographed softball to
H.E. Mr. Leonidas Chrysanthopoulos,
Ambassador of Greece to Canada.
Krissy
Chrisztopulosz of Aurora Ontario was one of the seventeen players
selected. She is the only
Canadian softball player of Greek heritage named to the team. Krissy,
who holds dual citizenship (Canadian and Greek) is vying for a position on
the final roster of the team which will compete in the 2004 Olympic Games
in Athens Greece.
Krissy's
Greek heritage extends back for many generations. Her father Anastasios
was not born in Greece but holds dual citizenship:
Greek and Canadian. Her
grandfather, Christos Christopoulos was born in Ano Ahaia, Greece on April
17, 1917. (Great
Grandparents: Anastasios Christopoulos and Panajota Stasuli are also from
Ano Ahaia )
Her grandmother, Eftalia
Christopulu (Galanis) was born in Eptahori, Greece on May 17, 1932.
Krissy's grandmother, her aunts Georgia and Panajota, her uncle
Petro, and cousins Sophie and Thalia live in Thessaloniki and are
registered in the Municipality of Kalamaria.
Krissy has many more relatives living in various regions of Greece
including Athens.
It is very
rare that an athlete has an opportunity to represent the heritage of both
of their parents on two different National Softball Teams. Krissy’s
father is Greek and her mother is Canadian. Krissy is a former member of
the Canadian Junior National Softball Team which competed in the World
Softball Championships in Taipei, Taiwan and was a member of Softball
Canada’s Senior National Team Athlete pool before deciding to play
softball for Greece.
Krissy is very proud to have an
opportunity now to represent the country of her father’s heritage on
Greek National Softball Team. Even though playing softball has taken
Krissy across Canada, the United States and to Taiwan her grandmother,
aunts, uncles, and cousins living in Greece have never seen her play. This is a thrill in a lifetime for the entire
family…especially those living in Greece!
At the U.S. Cup in Hawaii the Greek National Softball Team faced fierce competition, competing against National teams from the U.S.A, Canada and Chinese Taipei. The U.S. team which won the gold medal in the Olympics in 1996 and in 2000 went undefeated in the tournament with a 7-0 record, allowing only 5 runs against them during the event. Of honorable mention is that four of these runs were scored by the Greek National Team.
Next stop as part of a 9 day training camp the team participated in the Worth/Teamsmith International Tournament where they faced National teams from Venuzeula, Chinese Taipei and several elite teams from the U.S.
The team then traveled to Saronno, Italy where they went undefeated (10-0) to win the “B Pool” Division of the European Softball Championships with an astounding record of 139 runs for and only 2 runs against during the week long competition. They went on to win the Greece Cup in Athens defeating teams from Bulgaria and Russia.
Training camps and events for the remainder of 2003 and 2004 are still being finalized including an Olympic Test Event for softball which will take place in Athens sometime next spring. The final roster for the 2004 Greek Olympic Softball Team will be announced next July.
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