Two medal-winning performances by Terrace Minor Softball Association teams this year continue its reputation of producing championship-calibre teams and of its ability to produce a younger generation of coaches as older ones move on to other life demands and responsibilities.
The U15 team coached by Ryan Edmonds and Braden Vennard, both 18, came home with gold and the U13 team coached by Kendall Hamel, 17, and Shelby Muir, 18, came home with silver from provincial finals held in Prince George in August.
Outgoing association president Jorde Edmonds said the effort to ensure there are coaches being brought up within the association ensures there’s always young blood for and commitment to the sport.
“I would say it started with Ryan Praticante who was still a player at 16. He’s now 25 so that would be nine years since we started,” he said with respect to the coaching development stream.
“We got lucky, really lucky,” Edmonds continued, talking about the young players coming up who then showed coaching potential.
The first coaching experience would be with the association’s house teams and with that experience, the next move would be to take charge of teams going to provincial and national competitions.
Hamel, a Caledonia Secondary School graduate this year and now studying psychology at the University of Victoria, said she and Muir, also a Caledonia grad and now pursuing a Bachelor of Science at Thompson Rivers University, were teammates prior to deciding to take on a house team’s coaching duties.
“We always wanted to be a part of something bigger,” said Hamel in listing association executives Jorde Edmonds, Julie Mahil and coach Ryan Praticante as inspiration.
“They were just super role models for us,” she said.
The U13 team was one of six teams vying for the provincial title in that age category. It played eight games with Merritt taking gold and Barriere taking bronze.
Hamel said she and Muir quickly noticed the team come together as the games went on.
“There’s no one-person ball. Not one person is going to win the game but 12 kids are going to win the game. You could really see them yelling and cheering and being there for each other,” she said.
It’s that kind of motivation and confidence Hamel and Muir experienced as players and which then formed their coaching philosophy.
“It’s never been Kelby’s plan or my plan. It’s always collaborative.
“We always do things together and I think the kids see how much we work together,” Hamel said.
She also stressed the role of parents and guardians in supporting the young players whether at home or on the road with meals, refreshments and encouragement.
Edmonds, now working in his family business, also spoke of the love of the game he and Vennard, who is going to work in the mining industry, have for the game in taking on the coaching duties of the gold-medal winning U15 team.
“We wanted to pass the knowledge to a new generation,” said Edmonds.
As with Hamel and Muir, Edmonds and Vennard brought a team approach to coaching with Edmonds responsible for outfield practice and Vennard handling infield practice.
And he said one of the challenges awaiting them was transferring from being players to coaching.
“Patience,” added Vennard in describing one of the necessary attributes a coach must have.
There were also six teams in the U15 division with Cache Creek taking silver and 100 Mile House taking bronze.
Edmonds said the team learned to overcome adversity through its plan.
He and Vennard were particularly happy with the team’s ability to overcome and adapt to challenging situations.
And just as was expressed with the U13 parents and guardians, he said there was a fantastic support team backing up the playing on the field. Megan McAlpine was singled out in particular.
Terrace sent a second U15 team to the provincial finals and a U17 team that played in the U20 division.