It was a great year for the U13 Steinbach Storm and they capped it all off by marching through playoffs and bringing home the gold.
Coach Paul Turenne says personally, this year was magical. "It was my first time coaching my youngest daughter, so that was an experience," he says with a laugh. "Also, first time coaching with my wife, Tara. I mean, we had a blast coaching my daughter and some of her closest friends. We had four majors playing on our team and eight minors. They were just a bunch of fun girls to coach and it was a blast to do it along side Tara."
At the level of U13, Turenne says it was pretty amazing to watch as the girls dedication really paid off as they developed and honed their skills. "What really helped was watching the four majors become role models for the eight minors," the coach says proudly. "They really learned a lot from them. They developed a lot of different skills but they also developed friendships that will last a life time. It was a group that was coachable, that was fun to coach and I can't wait to do it again next year with this group."
Turenne says those friendships mean the most as those bonds are special. "On of our main goals starting in practice and going into games was to lift each other up, stay energized as a whole and I think that happened every single game. The girls were always ready to lift each other up, cheer like crazy and bring the energy level up. I think that speaks to why we did so well this year. We went undefeated through the regular season and we went undefeated at the league championship. The energy they all brought to every game was something that helped our team be so successful, but also that brings them together. When they all have that kind of positive energy, it's special, it was just a great season overall."
Coaching the U13 level comes with challenges, but Turenne says the closeness of the group and their mental toughness also was very impressive. "As a group, they really just had each others backs. Through the ups and downs, they were always cheering each other on. At this age, the chants were in full swing and we appreciated that as coaches. That level means a lot and it's why we were able to battle and compete and push."
Standing back after winning the gold medal, Turenne says he made sure to embrace the moment and watch all that hard work come flooding out in a sea of emotion between teammates. "Coaching with Tara and coaching my youngest daughter, it was exciting to do throughout the year, then to see the entire team come together, bring it every day, have that mentality of swinging the bat, being ready out in the field at all times, it was magic. Our pitching was awesome throughout the weekend, our defense was also really good, our swinging mentality out shone everyone else out there."
The future is bright for this team and the program, Turenne says it's amazing to see the sport grow. "After our win there, we had a bunch of parents come up to Tara and I and say their girls loved the sport even more because of the friendships they made. We do it for that, we do it for the development of skill in softball but it's also for the girls to form those bonds. They'll never forget those memories and sharing them with teammates, that's really what sport is all about."