Softball B.C. handed out several awards at a banquet last Saturday, with George Goddard earning recognition as the 2011 coach of the year.
“When I got the initial call that I would be receiving the invite to the banquet and had been named the coach of the year for 2011, I was shocked, surprised and extremely honoured,” said Goddard, the general manager of Rosedale-based Holiday Trails RV Resorts. “When I started coaching, it was something I just never put a goal on or even thought about. I am humbled by the award.”
Goddard started coaching in 1978 with Whalley Softball. He sat on the Whalley executive through the 1980’s and 90’s, holding the title of president from 1979-81.
He came back for a second term in the mid 90’s.
In 1997, Goddard led the Whalley Warriors boys team into the B.C. Summer Games in Burnaby.
The following year, he moved to Abbotsford and became the head coach of the girls squirt 91 B team. Goddard stayed with that group up to bantam and worked as a member of the Abbotsford executive as well. He continued to take teams to the B.C. Summer Games, winning three medals in four trips starting in 2004.
This year, Goddard helped coach the Maple Ridge Pride 97 squad, a team that represented B.C. at the Western Canadian Championships in Winnipeg.
The team won gold.
“Through fastball I have met a lot of folks and have become very good friends with them,” Goddard said. “Now I find I coach against some of those young athletes, which is always good for a chuckle.”
Get more at http://softball.bc.ca.