After a long wait, the U13 AAA Wildcats softball club is ready to get outside and kick start what is looking like a very exciting season.
Head coach Jason Plett says everyone is anticipating getting out on the diamond again. "Oh man, the girls have been itching to get outside," the coach says with a chuckle. "The last month where the snow is kind of away but we can't get outside, it's depressing almost being stuck in the gym. But, now that the weather has turned we're very excited to get outside and practice, hopefully today."
While waiting to get outside, Plett says the team has been working hard to hone their skills. "This group of girls, they're really fantastic, they all want to succeed, they all want to get better every day. You can totally see that when comparing where they started to where they are now after working in the gym. They've been fine tuning the little things, the details that you sometimes can't work on once the season gets rolling. Winter training is very important, specifically for this age group."
In building the U13 AAA team, Plett says it's a mix of known talent as well as how these players will develop throughout the season. "At the U13 level, I would say there are also a handful of players that are not too polished, but when you're picking at team at tryouts, you're looking for athletes that are go-getters. We want players that are eager to learn, that makes the job of the coaches a lot easier when those types of girls are on the team. People willing to take advice and be coached. On this team, we have 9 major-age girls and 3 minor-age with 5 of the majors returning. 4 of those players played AA Blaze last year, a program I cannot speak highly enough of. They have been doing a fantastic job developing girls that maybe didn't make AAA in their minor age year but they keep working and they make the step up the next season. It's really awesome to see that level of talent and dedication."
As Plett said, there's a good blend of players that have been together for years while also adding new faces, but the coach said this group has gelled very quickly. "It started right away," he says with a proud smile. "Right after the team was announced back at the end of September, we had a pool party at our manager's house and right away, they had a connection like they knew each other for years. Those bonds will only deepen as we get out for travel tournaments and spend a lot of time on the diamond. It's an awesome thing to see, these girls create life-long friendships just by playing a sport, it's very cool to see."
With this group at this age, Plett is a big believer in it's not just developing physical tools, it's also about keeping the players mentally strong through the highs and lows. "You think about it, the game of baseball and softball, they are games of failure. If you have a .300 batting average, that's really good while still failing 7 out of 10 times. We want to get across to the girls that they can't be afraid to make mistakes, try and have a short memory. If you drop a fly ball or strike out, forget about it and bring on the next challenge. Go hard and don't be afraid to make a mistake, you have a team that's there to support you."
The players on the field get a lot of the attention but Plett says it's the community around the team that helps the girls be at their best while also enjoying playing the sport they love. "Huge shoutout to parents. They're driving their daughters around to practices where they may be, whether it's Steinbach, Grunthal or Lorette. A lot of our girls are multi-sport athletes, many play volleyball, hockey, gymnastics or whatever, and their parents are huge in the development of their kids. It's so great to see that they want their kids to succeed and they try their absolute best to get them to practices on time. My assistant coach Jeff Penner from Steinbach, he's a huge help, too. He was pretty busy as a hockey coach and president of Steinbach Minor. Jeff, along with my daughter Jadyen, she plays at U17 while also coaching. Add in our manager Jessica Laluk, it's all of them finding time to help organize, plan practice and they really step up to make it a special year for the girls. It's a very special group."
The plan is for the Wildcats to start outdoor practice today, weather pending.