Conception Bay South Sports Hall of Fame
2016 Inductee: Paul F. Smith (Builder)
Paul F. Smith (Upper Gullies) Was Recently Inducted Into The Conception Bay South Sports Hall Of Fame In The Builder Category.
Softball NL Would Like To Take This Opportunity To Congratulate Paul F. Smith On His Recent Induction Into The Conception Bay South Sports Hall of Fame In The Builder Category.
Congratulations Paul!
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Paul F. Smith (Builder – 2016)
Paul has been an avid volunteer at the Local and Provincial levels for many years. For over 50 years, Paul has been involved in the sport of Softball as a player, coach, umpire, and organizer. However, it has been his involvement as a coach and organizer which has provided countless youth and adults in Newfoundland and Labrador the opportunity to experience the sport at all levels from local Minor House League up to the National Senior level.
Paul’s involvement in Minor Softball began in 1987 when he began coaching his son’s Paul, Mark, and Peter in the Kelligrews Minor Softball League. From 1987 – 1994, Paul coached at both the House League and All-Star level, capturing several League and Provincial All-Star Medals. During this time, Paul also served on the league executive and volunteered as an umpire.
In 1993, Paul founded Conception Bay South Minor Softball League for boy’s and girl’s who had graduated from Kelligrews Minor Softball so that they could continue playing beyond the U14 (Pee Wee) level. From 1993 – 2006, Paul served as President of CBS Minor Softball while continuing to coach successfully at the House League and All-Star levels. During this period of time, Paul established boy’s and girl’s teams who competed at the U14 (Pee Wee), U16 (Bantam), and U19 (Midget) levels to participate in Slo-Pitch and Fastpitch House League and Provincial All-Star Competition.
In 1993, Paul entered his CBS U14 Boy’s All-Star team into the Constable William Moss Memorial Fastpitch Softball Tournament in St. John’s. Comprised of mainly of slo-pitch players who had never experience fastpitch, the team went undefeated to the championship game earning the Silver Medal. Throughout the tournament the team defeated several established fastpitch teams with their strong defence and work ethic which had been instilled in them over the years. The success of this team sparked a renewed interest in fastpitch in the Conception Bay South area which continues to the present day.
In 1996, Conception Bay South hosted the Newfoundland and Labrador Summer Games. The multi sport event included Boy’s Softball which was represented by teams from each of the 8 regions of the Province. As head coach of the Host CBS Boy’s U16 team, Paul guided the team to the Silver Medal. That same year, the team entered the U16 Boy’s division in the St. John’s Metro Softball League and defeated Waterford Valley in the final to be declared champions for the 1996 season. For their success, the CBS U16 Boy’s Fastpitch Softball Team were named Team of the Year for 1996 at the annual CBS Athlete of the Year Awards night.
In 1998, Paul chaired the CBS committee which hosted the U16 (Bantam) Boy’s Eastern Canadian Softball Championships in late August. That season, not only did Paul continue to coach the CBS U16 and U19 Boy’s Fastpitch teams but also entered CBS Storm into the St. John’s Junior Men’s Softball League so that players could continue to play fastpitch softball into their adult softball careers. For his dedication to the sport, Paul was named the 1998 Executive of the Year by Softball Newfoundland and Labrador at the 1999 Awards ceremony.
As of 2016, CBS Storm continues to compete as a member team in the St. John’s Intermediate Men’s Fastpitch Softball League (formerly St. John’s Junior Men’s Softball League) with Paul Smith as the Head Coach. To date, the team has been successful in capturing the Intermediate Men’s Provincial Championship once (2014), Junior (2002) and Intermediate Provincial Championship (2013 & 2016) runner up 3 times, Swing into Summer Champions twice (2014 & 2016), and St. John’s Intermediate Men’s Fastpitch Softball League runner up twice (2008 & 2013).
Paul’s involvement in coaching has also extended into the female game. In 2005 & 2006, Paul coached the CBS U16 Girl’s softball team to back to back Constable William Moss Memorial Championship victories. In 2005, the team also captured the Softball NL Provincial Championship. Since 2008, Paul has been the manager of the Newfoundland and Labrador Canada Summer Games Women’s Softball Teams (2009 – Prince Edward Island, 2013 – Quebec, and 2017 – Manitoba) that have also competed at numerous Provincial, Eastern Canadian, National, and International events.
Paul has been involved with softball as a Provincial organizer since 2006. From 2006 – present, Paul has been a member of the Constable William Moss Memorial Softball Tournament Committee. This tournament is the largest local tournament east of Montreal and in 2016 had a record number (38) of teams register in 5 divisions played throughout St. John’s. In 2009, Paul was elected to the Softball Newfoundland and Labrador Board of Directors as its Financial Director. Since that time, he has held various roles with Softball NL including Hall of Fame Committee Chair (2010 – Present), Umpire in Chief (2013 – Present), Minor Committee Member (2016 – Present), Vice President (2011 – 2013) and President (2013 – Present). Most recently, Paul was a member of the Host Committee for the 2016 Softball Canada Senior & Master’s Men’s Canadian Championships.
As one of the most respected and dedicated volunteers in the sport of softball in the last 30 years, Paul Smith has not only provided countless opportunities for the people of this Province to experience the sport but continues to mentor athletes and other volunteers on and off the field. Paul remains committed to the development of local softball players and making sure that opportunities to compete at the Local, National, and International level continue to increase.
Paul F. Smith Softball Timeline…Paul F. Smith Softball Timeline
Kelligrews Minor Softball (1987 – 1994)
-Executive Member (1990-1994)
-House League Coach (1987 – 1994)
All-Star Coach (1990 – 1994)
-U10 Squirt Boy’s (1990)
-Gold, 1990 Provincial SP
U12 Squirt Boy’s (1991 – 1993)
-Silver, 1991 Provincial SP
-Gold, 1992 Provincial SP
-Silver, 1993 Provincial SP
Conception Bay South Minor Softball (1993 – 2006)
-President (1993-2006)
-Founder (1993)
-Founded CBS Minor Softball to allow boy’s and girl’s who graduated from Kelligrews Minor Softball to continue playing organized minor softball beyond the U12 level.
-Provided boy’s and girl’s at the U14 Pee-Wee, U16 Bantam, and U19 Midget levels to participate in slo-pitch and fastpitch house league and all-star competition.
House League Coach (1993 – 1999)
All-Star Coach (1993 – 2006)
U14 Pee-Wee Boy’s (1993 – 1995, 1999 – 2000)
-Gold, 1993 Provincial SP
-Silver, 1993 Constable William Moss Memorial
-Gold, 1999 Provincial FP
-Gold, 2000 Constable William Moss Memorial
U16 Bantam Boy’s (1993 – 1999)
-Participated in the St. John’s Bantam Boy’s Fastpitch League from 1996 – 1999
-Gold, 1993 Provincial SP
-Gold, 1994 Provincial SP
-Silver, 1996 NL Summer Games
-1996 Season Champions, St. John’s Bantam Boy’s Fastpitch League
-1996 League Champions, St. John’s Bantam Boy’s Fastpitch League
-1996 Town of Conception Bay South Team of the Year Award Winners
U16 Bantam Girl’s (2005 – 2006)
-Gold, 2005 Constable William Moss Memorial
-Gold, 2005 Provincial SP
-Gold, 2006 Constable William Moss Memorial
U19 Midget Boy’s (1996 – 2006)
-Participated in the St. John’s Midget Boy’s Fastpitch League from 1996 – 2001
-1997 Season Champions, St. John’s Midget Boy’s Fastpitch League
-1998 League Championship Runner Up, St. John’s Midget Boy’s Fastpitch League
Head Coach, CBS Storm U23/Junior Men’s Team (1998 – 2004)
-Participated in the St. John’s Junior Men’s Fastpitch League from 1998 – 2004
-2002 Provincial Runner Up
Head Coach, CBS Storm Intermediate Men’s Team (2005 – Present)
-Member of the St. John’s Intermediate Men’s Fastpitch League from 2005 – Present
-2014 Provincial Champions
-2013 & 2016 Provincial Runner Up
-2014 & 2016 Swing Into Summer Champions
-2008 & 2013 League Championship Runner Up, St. John’s Intermediate Fastpitch League
U16 Bantam Boy’s Eastern Canadian Softball Championships (1998)
-Host Committee Chair
-Head Coach for the Host Team (Conception Bay South)
U14 Pee- Wee Boy’s Eastern Canadian Softball Championships (1999)
-Assistant Coach – Team NL (Conception Bay South)
Softball NL/Softball Canada Umpire (1993 – Present)
-Umpired in Provincial and Eastern Canadian Championships
-Umpired locally at all age categories of male and female softball, including Intermediate and Senior Men’s, and Senior Women’s fastpitch competition
Constable William Moss Memorial Committee (2006 – Present)
Softball NL Board of Directors (2009 – Present)
Financial Director (2009 – 2011)
Vice-President (2011 – 2013)
President (2013 – Present)
Umpire In Chief (2013 – Present)
Softball NL Minor Committee Member (2016 – Present)
Chair, Softball NL Hall of Fame Committee (2010 – Present)
St. John’s Intermediate Men’s Softball League Executive (2011 – Present)
NL Selects/Team NL Women’s Softball Program (2008 – Present)
-Manager, Canada Summer Games (2009, 2013, 2017)
-2008 U19 Women’s Canadian Championships
-2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 U19 Montreal International Challenge
-2010 U16 Eastern Canadian Championships
-2011 U19 Eastern Canadian Championships
-2012, 2015, 2016 U21 Canadian Championships
-2014 U18 Eastern Canadian Championships
-2008 & 2012 Senior Women’s Provincial Championships
Softball Canada Senior & Master’s Men’s Canadian Championships (2016)
-Host Committee Member
Awards
-Town of Conception Bay South Citizen of the Year (1997)
-St. John’s Minor Softball Ray Hazeltine Memorial Award (1998)
* Awarded to the individual who has demonstrated selfless commitment to the game of softball
-1998 Softball NL Executive of the Year (Awarded in 1999)
