The U11 Winkler Golden Gloves brought home silver from their recent playdowns and coach Tim Friesen says the real highlight is how the team has come together over the season.
"We had a really good season this year," Friesen says proudly. "We came into playdowns on a bit of a winning streak and we took on our first three games and had decisive victories. I think we gave up one run against over the three games. We were playing some good offensive ball, so we had it going on in all aspects, from great pitching to good fielding and defense, and we brought it with the bats as well. It was a lot of fun."
That good play brought them into the finals where they went head-to-head with another Winkler team and it was an experience Friesen says all will remember. "It was a lot of fun, these girls are in an interesting place, there are three teams all from Winkler, so some girls go to school with others or are friends with others on teams, it was a lot of fun. The girls were nervous, for many it was the biggest game they've played, so there were nerves on both sides. It was a real competitive, fun game and at the end, I give the other Winkler team a lot of credit, they were real good winners and treated our girls well. Our girls handled the loss pretty well, it was a tight game and a lot of fun."
Watching the team after taking home silver was something Friesen says really stood out. "You know, we're all competitors and it's a really good thing to see as a coaching staff, and boy did we have a good coaching staff as well as some really great parents, and while some of us are a pretty competitive, we were maybe a little bit disappointed, we looked at the girls and they were just having a blast. They were so excited to earn that silver medal, so proud of how hard they tried and how close they did come. At the end of the day, it was a good reminder for us, even though we're competitive, it's about having fun and developing great friendships."
Those friendships throughout the team is something that instantly puts a smile on Friesen's face. "Oh man, so many memories. I remember the first couple of practices with these girls, some of which to go school and play together while others were meeting each other for the first time. A whole bunch of different skill levels, some girls had never played ball before, others are into their second or third year coming from U9 or into their second year of U11, we just saw so much development. We joked at the beginning of the year that we should be taking video of their early skills and where they were because the development that we saw in their baseball skills was just unbelieveable. As the year went on and as we cruised into the finals of the year-end tournament, our girls were playing great ball and playing for each other. At the end of the year, you see all these bonding friendships and it's a pretty short, intense season. It's five or six week season where we play a bunch of times a week, so the girls get pretty close by the end of the year. Those friendships among the successes we had on the field, but those friendships as a coach and a parent, it's really neat to see."
Friesen says the growth of ball in Winkler really stands out and it's amazing to see so many kids taking part. "It's so terrific. I have to give our board and all of the people of Winkler here that run the ball programs a ton of credit. We're pretty new here as I have a daughter in U11, been in the program for a few years now but to see what they offer to parents, to the kids as they're wanting to improve skills, there's just so many things they can do to throughout the year to work on their skills. The ball program, it's neat to see, as I get more involved here, it's great. The community of Winkler has a lot of options, there's a lot to do, there are other great programs, too. Some of the other small communities that don't have as much to offer, we see kids going into ball but here in Winkler, there's other options and that's terrific, but to see the ball program be so strong, it's really great to see."
Looking into the future, Friesen says that it's great to see a road for girls from Winkler having the chance to go to school while also playing high level athletics. "It's neat to think of and while we're still in the early stages of that, being a father of three daughters and seeing our oldest get involved in ball, it's neat. It's great they have opportunities like the boys in other sports, they can go to college, be successful and get an education. For us, we try not to think about it quite that seriously yet at this level, we just want the girls to have fun, keep playing the game and move up to the U13, U15 and U17, loving and playing the sport."