Softball season might have wrapped up a few months ago but there was plenty of action last weekend at the Arbutus Meadows indoor facility in Nanoose Bay.
With the turf in place, close to 70 girls in different age groups have been tuning up their game this off-season.
“We’ve had a few of these sessions now so we’re really happy with how they’ve turned out,” Ian Kellow, Oceanside Softball coach said. “Being able to bring in girls from around the Island and having them all learn from various coaches on the Island has been great.”
“We’ve even been fortunate enough to have Rob Geunter, the pitching coach with the Canadian women’s national team, come out and give the girls some lessons too, so they’re all happy to get to keep playing and learn some new things in the process.”
For Kellow and his fellow coaches, it’s all about spreading the word about the game of softball and trying to reach out to those who might show interest but aren’t quite sure if they want to join or not.
“A lot of the girls here already play,” Kellow said. “But we’ve integrated a learn-to-play portion into all of this as well, so for the girls who are new to the game or want to learn how to play, they can come in here and feel right at home.”
“We’ve got some good numbers here in the Oceanside area alone, along with the other districts on the Island as well. But having more people interested in the game will only help grow the sport further and further and ultimately, that’s what we’re putting these weekend clinics on for.”
The weekend was a huge success, with the number of girls that came out and the number of coaches that came to help with various aspects of the game from pitching, hitting, base running and everything in between.
There was even a chance to check out the Parksville Royals getting in some work with members of the UBC Thunderbirds baseball team in between the girls practice time.
“There was lots going on there this weekend,” Kellow said.
“We’re really lucky to have a facility like this so close, being able to make use of it just allows us to further push our season past the normal time we’re scheduled to practise and play.”
“We get to come indoors when the weather gets bad and we know that we’ll be able to have a place like this, where other teams come to practice as well, that will accommodate us and allow the girls to enjoy themselves,” Kellow said. “It’s pretty awesome.”
With softball season kicking off in March, there will be another weekend session ahead of the start of the season, giving players one more chance to dust off their cleats and break in their gloves before getting their season underway.
Anyone looking for more information can check out www.oceansidegirlssoftball.com.
