Other than death and taxes, nothing is certain in life. But the coordinator of the Okanagan Softball Camp begs to differ.
Carolyn Bell says they guarantee that every girl who leaves the camp in Oliver is a better ball player with more confidence.
Bell joined a dozen other instructors in Oliver Community Park last week teaching 84 young girls the fundamentals of the game.
She acknowledged the high caliber coaching staff that have such a passion for the game.
“We’re producing better ball hitters . . . the kids are falling in love with the game again,” said Bell, who played on Team BC in 2008.
She pointed out that one player who’s been coming to the camp for five years couldn’t hit the ball 10 feet in her first year. Now she’s competing and doing very well.
Bell said they want to give back to the kids and help them realize their dreams – the same dreams that the instructors had at that age.
“Many (of the girls) are getting scholarships,” she pointed out.
Sixteen-year-old Aiyana Basi from Quesnel said that is her goal – to get a scholarship and study social work. “I like helping people.”
The pitcher for the Prince George Thunderbirds initially started playing soccer but quickly fell in love with softball.
She agreed that the team aspect is important, but if you don’t develop as an individual, you’re really no good to the team.
Basi admitted that she was really shy during the first year at softball camp, adding it was a big step outside of her comfort zone. It was the classic scenario of the parents dropping their kid off at camp and hoping that their “little darling” would make friends.
Well, the camp did a lot more than that. It taught her how to be more outgoing and more confident about her skills.
Basi commended the coaches for their dedication and hard work in helping the girls improve. She pointed out that the instructors even work through their lunch breaks to help the kids excel.
Fellow Thunderbird Robyn Lank, 15, said she likes how the instructors focus on the positive even when the players make mistakes.
“They teach us how not to make errors.”
The catcher admitted that she needs to work on her batting, saying it’s a mental game with her trying to dispel negative thoughts about missing the ball.
Lank said the coaches really help the girls recognize their potential.
“It’s the excitement I feel when I make a good play or hit the ball.”
Of course, some of that potential came from her father, who previously played ball and coached the sport.
Lank is also pursuing a scholarship and a possible career in physiotherapy.
Lyonel Doherty
Oliver Chronicle
