By Darren
Steinke
Gordie Howe Sports Complex
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| A youngster works on her swing at a Timbits Saturdays session. |
Bertoncini
is an outfielder with the University of Saskatchewan Softball team and was
contacted about a year ago about helping coach with Timbits Saturdays. The
Timbits Saturdays program offers softball instruction to children aged five to
10 in one-hour long sessions that are held Saturday mornings at the Indoor
Training Centre at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex from October to February.
Players
that sign up for the program will take part in a total of six one-hour
sessions.
They
participate in activities and games that are patterned after informal
playground games that promise fun and action. The activities are set up in a
way to allow players with high and low skill levels to be involved.
“When they get better, it is very exciting to see,” said
Bertoncini. “I’m very proud in all the kids that we see throughout the years.
“It is awesome to see them get better. It is just an
unbelievable feeling. That is why I love coming back every time.
“I’m just like, ‘Yep. Sign me up,’ because I want to
comeback. Seeing the kids get better is awesome. You really get to know the
kids too and how they play and that kind of thing.”
The Timbits Saturday’s program is in its third season of operation. It was developed after the Indoor Training Centre opened on March 1, 2019 and first hit the field from October 2019 to February 2020.
Noreen Murphy, who is the Timbits Coordinator, said the SNCSA was looking to offer this fun instructional program in the off-season during a time that wouldn’t conflict with other activities youngsters might be involved in. The Saturday Morning time slot was a perfect fit.
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| Danielle Bertoncini teach pitching to a youngster. |
“We sellout every time we put it out there. We’re excited
about that. Lots of kids are learning more skills.”
During the Timbits Saturdays sessions, players participate
in basic drills that teach the proper forms for throwing, catching and
pitching. On the hitting side, players take part in drills that work on proper
stance and swinging before proceeding to hit balls off a tee into a net.
Some of those drills are used with older age groups to help
reinforce the basics.
On top of those drills, the players will do some activities
that are basically playground games along with some short simulated mini games
at the end of the session.
Murphy said the program tries to help young players develop
physical literary, but the main focus is trying to ensure they are having fun.
“I’ve always said any time you are instructing whatever you
are instructing it doesn’t matter the kids need to have fun at the end of the
day,” said Murphy. “If they are not having fun, they won’t comeback.
“That is a huge part of it. You will see when we instruct or teach different skill sets in the sport of softball that we include different activities that don’t look like softball, but they are building the foundation of the ABCs I call them agility, balance and coordination. Those are the pieces that you need to be a strong player and athlete eventually.
“We work on those things. They’ve had a lot of fun here, so
that is what it is at the end of the day.”
Kelsey Rokosh has a young daughter in the Timbits Saturdays
program, who is always pumped up at the end of the sessions about what took
place and immediately looks forward to coming back.
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| Youngsters practise pitching at a Timbits Saturdays session. |
Rokosh watches the Timbits Saturdays sessions from the
spectator loop on the second floor of the Indoor Training Centre and enjoys
watching her daughter part in the action on the field below.
“They look really organized,” said Rokosh. “The kids look
like they are having fun.
“We can see that they have learned some new skills.”
She was also impressed with how well the coaches interact with the young players.
“The coaches seem really great,” said Rokosh. “They are
really involved, and they seem really supportive of the kids.”
Bertoncini said it has made her feel good to be able to come
out and coach at the Timbits Saturdays sessions and give back to the game.
She has enjoyed teaching the basic skills of the game to
young players. She said it has helped her game, because at the elite adult levels
there is a lot of focus on the intricacies and strategies of the game.
“It is honestly good for me, because it is good to go back
to the basics,” said Bertoncini. “At the end of the day, ball is very simple.
“Ball is about catching the ball, throwing the ball and
receiving the ball, and then hitting the ball as well. It is really good to
comeback to square one. Playing for the U of S, it happens really quick, and
you have to be on your toes at all times.
“At the end of the day, we want kids to come out and play
and that is how the sport continues to grow in Saskatoon here. It is good to
comeback to square one and kind of slow it down again and get the little kids
to really enjoy their time.”
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| A youngster throws the ball at a Timbits Saturdays session. |
“We are just making sure we have them have fun in it, so
they continue to play as they get older,” said Bertoncini. “That is often where
people drop off.
“If they are not having fun in the sport or certain things
are not going well, they tend to drop out. As long as we can make sure they are
having fun and pushing themselves to be better, I think that is all we can
really ask for.”
For more information about programs offered by the Saskatchewan North Central Softball Academy, feel free to check out sncsacademy.com.
