Softball Academy

Garibaldi Secondary School is partnering with the Ridge Meadows Minor Softball Association (RMMSA) to introduce a Softball Academy that will be launched in September 2018.

In the Fall of 2017, a survey was conducted to examine the viability of a Softball and a Baseball Academy being hosted in School District 42. The response from the community was overwhelming with over 700 responses being received.

Below is a sample of parent feedback which identified strong support for the addition of a Softball Academy in School District No. 42.

• “Maple Ridge needs this. We have lots of great athletes that play this sport. We need to keep them here in our own community. I love this idea! Let’s keep our athletes here and give them these opportunities at home.” (Parent Survey Feedback)
• “I think to keep students that play and are still in school in our district this would be a huge benefit as we are losing students to Yale and Delta who both have good softball academies.” (Parent Survey Feedback)
• “We are currently considering leaving our district to have our daughter play for an academy, but would rather she play in her own district. Maple Ridge needs this as we are losing so many talented players to other districts.” (Parent Survey Feedback)

ACADEMY FORMAT
The Academy will run Monday & Wednesdays and every other Friday. It will alternate between a morning session (8:30-11:30am) and an afternoon session (12:30-2:30pm). The primary locations will be Albion Athletic Park and an indoor training facility, the Warehouse, which is owned and operated by Ridge Meadows Minor Softball Association. Facilities at Garibaldi Secondary will also be used, including the Cardio and Weight Room as well as classroom space as required.

The Softball Academy will be supported by a Garibaldi teacher and be run by experienced coaches associated with the Ridge Meadows Minor Softball Association.

The Garibaldi/RMMSA Softball Academy will follow the Long-Term Player Development Model developed by Softball Canada and based on the Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) model developed by Athletics Canada.

Students in the academy will initially be in the Training to Train (T2T) Phase which consolidates fundamental softball skills and introduces more advanced softball skills and tactics/strategies. It also introduces softball-specific mental skills and learning to cope with the
mental and physical challenges of competition. As the year progresses, the focus is on transferring the performance of skills developed in training into the competitive environment with a greater focus on optimal team performance.

Also introduced and developed will be softball-specific mental skills, goal setting, and team-building/socialization activities.

• Develop emotional control.
• Introduce game plans, pre-game, and game routines.
• Introduce stress management, coping strategies, and attentional control.

Character Development will also be an integral component of the academy experience.
Players will:

• Continue developing fair play attitudes and behaviours: respect for self, teammates, coaches, opponents, officials, rules, and sport.
• Continue to develop positive individual values: respect for the truth, moral reasoning, including considerate behaviour, responsibility/accountability, mental toughness, determination, and integrity.
• Continue to develop positive team concept, taking pride in: teamwork, work ethic, humility, playing safely, tolerance, inclusiveness, expressing gratitude, and accepting and fulfilling role on team.

FINANCIAL CONSIDERATION – WHAT DOES IT COST?

• $1800 annually per player
• This fee includes:
  • Academy Gear Package
  • RMMSA – Head Coach – Katelyn Ross
  • RMMSA – Associate Coaches – TBA
  • Guest Coaches & Trainers
  • Transportation fees to Albion Sports Park & the Warehouse