Spring has come and with it all of the outdoor sports residents love. The soccer fields will be teeming with teams, tennis courts will see a renewed use, and the slo-pitch teams will head home to the ball diamonds.
One group in particular can’t wait to hit the field. The Pure Venom softball team will be taking another swing at gold during the 2012 season which starts on April 28.
Despite the slightly more frigid weather, the girls have been practicing indoors since early January.
“They’re looking great this year and picking up everything we’ve been practicing,” said head coach Brent Sands. “Hopefully, we can continue with what we did last year.”
Last year was an impressive season for the team. In their league, they won gold. In provincials, they won silver. In their entire 2011 season, they won all but three games, and each loss was only by a single run, including the battle for the gold medal in provincials.
Although the team has been confined inside for practices, they have still been able to work on virtually every aspect of the game, including batting (with softer balls).
This year, on top of their quest for more gold, the team will be playing in the Midget (17-19 years old) division, rather than the Bantam as in 2011. The change means quite a few new opponents as well as some old ones who have made the change as well.
The change doesn’t worry Sands.
“In the provincial tournament last year, they ended up playing in the under 19 category and they did quite well,” said Sands.
The roster has remained the same, apart from several new recruits, including a player from Strathmore.
The girls will begin the season on April 28 in Calgary. For more information about the team and scores, visit calgaryminorsoftball.com.