CALGARY, Alberta — For Craig Cameron, summer softball was always a part of his summer while growing up.

So it’s only natural that the sport has become a big part of his life. For the past six years he’s volunteered with the West Valley Softball Association, coaching and developing the skills of players aged seven to 18. This year, Craig is an assistant coach with West Valley’s U14 Division 3 team.

“Summer softball was a part of our summers growing up,” he says. “Aunts, uncles, cousins would play pick-up games that I would participate in when I was young. Later, I played minor baseball through middle and high school. I had some great local coaches and was fortunate enough to attend Baseball Alberta and Edmonton Trapper skill development camps. I picked up something from all of them.

Specifically, my Uncle Paul Heartt was to this day, the best defensive infielder I’ve ever been on the field with. He was also one of those infectiously fun uncles who always had time for a joke or to throw a ball. He’d come watch my minor baseball games and offer advice. His willingness to do that stuck with me.”

The biggest life lesson Craig learned from being a coach is the importance of focusing on the growth of individuals. “Having every hitter and defender play at an elite level is not likely. But having every player on the team improve in a noticeable way is possible. Players and parents seeing those improvements are one of the ways to keep them involved in the game.”

“My hope is that players in teams I’m involved with can experience skill development in an environment that is still fun and engaging. Seeing a smile on the face of a player at the end of a 90-minute practice, because they had a few laughs and learned something new means the coaching staff has done something right. The players I have can move on to play for other teams, associations or as adults and have the skills to be a confident participant, rather than a spectator,” says Cameron.

“Overall team play and strategy is important, but focusing on the growth of each player is key to developing and motivating young players.”

Cameron has helped coach teams that have won a few playoff games in city championship playoffs, but never a really deep run. When coaching lower division teams, player development and the girl’s enjoyment of the game is his main goal. He says he gets his biggest satisfaction from two things, keeping girls in the game and watching them improve.

“It’s great seeing how many of the girls return to the association the following year because they enjoyed the experience, even those who didn’t think they’d stay with softball for more than a year. It’s not uncommon for a U10 team to lose half its players the following year. From my oldest daughter’s first year U10 team, nine of 10 players returned. A twin sister of one of those players actually joined the next year because she saw how much her sister enjoyed it and the older sister of another one of those players joined as well because her little sister had such a positive experience.

“Many of the girls I coached in lower divisions earlier in their careers are now excelling at higher divisions. When I watch them and see their throwing or hitting technique is a little more advanced than their peers, it’s pretty cool.”

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