Drayton Moorefield Giants Minor Ball was among the recipients honoured last weekend at the Softball Ontario awards banquet at the Get in the game Symposium in North York.
This is the second season the local ball association received this Safe Star award, which comes with a $500 bursary to host a junior umpires clinic for the local and neighbouring associations. A date for this clinic will be set shortly.
After the players, umpires are the most important part of a softball game and the Giants are committed to providing well trained men and women in blue.
“We are excited to be able to offer this clinic to train our ‘blue crew’ right here at home’,” said Kelly Culp, the association’s player/coach development coordinator, who also attended the Symposium with Giants president Denise Koepke.
Last season the Giants fielded 10 teams from Blast ball to Midget, and are prepared to add more teams for the 2012 season. Registration dates are approaching (see ad at bottom of this page).
The season will start off with four weeks of indoor training at the local arena.
“We are committed to our players’ skill development and this indoor training falls in line with Softball Canada’s Long Term Player Development (LTPD),” said Culp.
“Regulations of Learn to Train, Learn to Compete will come at the upper levels of the sport as the players graduate through the system.”
She added, “We want them playing softball for life, from Blastball through to Midget and then move on to adult slo-pitch or fast pitch.”
