As daylight hours grow, signaling Spring is on its way, so too is excitement for all the new season brings - including softball.
The Altona Angels club is winding up for its 2025/26 season with player registration currently underway. The club is also preparing by hosting a series of weekly pitching clinics starting next Saturday, March 8th, with Greg Bouchard.
"He is the top clinician to do Canpitch in Manitoba," explained President Derek Sawatzky. "So, we're really excited to have him come and share with our girls his wisdom and coach them up a bit."
Interested players can indicate whether they'd like to participate in the clinics during the registration process.
In addition, hitting and back-catching skills clinics are also in the works for this Spring.
Related stories:
- 'We'd love to see the numbers increase,' Registration now open for Altona Angels 2025 softball season
- Altona Angels gear up for Spring with more exciting diamond enhancements
Past President, Rachel Wahl, noted the club is also bringing a coaching skills clinic to town.
"Coaches, assistant coaches, aspiring coaches, parents who are interested in learning more about the game, really, anyone can take it," she explained. "It's bringing the knowledge they need here to move forward with practices and drills, just teach the sport of softball to youth girls."
Wahl added, the club is always looking for new coaches, especially ones who aren't a parent of a player.
"We would love to have more young women coaches; former Angels players are great coaches to have. The girls really look up to them and the connection is there."
"As a dad who has also coached, I've been fortunate to coach alongside those non-parent coaches and, just seeing how the girls look up to the older girls as mentors, as someone who they want to emulate," added Sawatzky. "I think that's such a value-added to those children's lives."
And as the player rosters for the new season fill up, the club is also looking for umpires to officiate games. New and returns umps are also required to brush up on their skills and take an umpire clinic. While that opportunity won't be hosted by the Angels this year, Wahl says a clinic is being planned for somewhere in the surrounding area. Those details are yet to come.