Pictured L-R: Director of BMSA, Nicole Beausoleil; Treasurer of BMSA, Jodi Chmelnyk; President of BMSA and coach, Darren Russell; VP of BMSA, Tammy Kachmarski; Zone Rep for Softball Sask., Yvonne Michnik. (Submitted photo/Battlefords Minor Softball Association)

By Martin Martinson

A Season to Remember

BMSA recognized with Softball Sask year-end awards

Oct 25, 2022 | 5:08 PM

Battlefords Minor Softball Association (BMSA) has been recognized with a pair of Softball Saskatchewan’s prestigious year-end awards, recognizing the program’s excellence.

Battlefords Minor Softball was named the 2022 Association of the Year, while president of the program and local coach, Darren Russell earned the distinction of Coach of the Year.

“It just reflects all the hard work that players, volunteers and the board of directors put in this year,” Russell said of the Association’s recognition.

“We put on a whole bunch of camps here and coaches’ and player clinics, and our teams did really well at provincials. Then we also hosted a showcase tournament at the end of the year, so it was a big year for us, and we’re honoured,” he continued.

“It shines a pretty big light on our program here, and hopefully our numbers just keep going up and we can keep putting together a really great product.” – Darren Russell on the Softball Sask Year-end awards

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Pictured L-R: Darren Russel with the Coach of the Year plaque. The BMSA Association of the Year and Coach of the Year plaques. (Submitted photos/BMSA)

The Battlefords Bandits saw success at virtually every age category at provincials, including a fourth-place finish in their first-ever showing at the U11 level, a U13 silver competing at a provincial tournament with just under 40 teams, a U15 bronze, a U17 team fourth-place finish, and U19 silver.

In addition to his role as president of the association, Russell could often be found throughout the summer months in the middle of the action from the dugout, or behind the wheel driving the local teams to tournaments, while helping coach a number of the community clubs.

Russell was the head coach for the U17 team that traveled to take part in the 2022 Canada Cup in Surrey BC., where they placed fifth overall in the international tournament, as well as one of the house league U13 teams.

He also served as an assistant coach with the U13 provincial silver medal-winning team, before teaming up with Meadow Lake’s Davin Hildebrand to share head coaching duties with the Rivers West team that won gold at the U13 District Showcase in North Battleford.

Asked about what it means to be recognized for his work coaching this year, Russell was quick to share the spotlight with those around him.

“It’s a huge honour obviously, I put a lot of hard work and time into our program and it’s nice to be recognized, but you don’t win Coach of the Year without a whole bunch of other people helping you out all year too,” he said. “The head coach is only as good as the others coaching with them, so it’s not just my award, but for all those who helped out coaching with me this year as well.”

“When you get to the ballpark and everybody’s there prepared and ready to have fun, smiling and having a good time, that makes it really easy to be there.”

After all, Russell said that love of the game is what’s most important when it comes to the continued growth of the sport and making kids’ time in minor softball a memorable experience.

“There’s way better technical coaches and there’s coaches that are going to teach you more about your swing, but my coaching philosophy is basically to make an environment where these kids can have as much fun as possible and where they want to be at the ballpark,” he said.

“For some kids, softball might be the best part of their day, and I want to respect that and make sure it is the best part of their day, so it’s really nice to see my style of coaching recognized.”

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1