Ward Gosse – Master Pitching Instructor
During the development of the Long-Term Player Development Guide for Softball in Canada and subsequent discussions with Provincial/Territorial Softball Associations, a need was identified to create a national standardized curriculum for the development of pitchers. Softball Canada gathered a group of pitching experts and met in Ottawa, ON in February 2008 to develop the curriculum with the group led by Mark Smith (current Head Coach for Softball Canada’s Men’s and Women’s National Teams and former Senior Men’s National Team pitcher).
On the weekend of April 18th-19th, 2009 in Toronto, Ontario, Softball Canada held a training session for Master Pitching Instructors selected by their respective Provincial/Territorial Softball Association. The purpose of the weekend was to introduce the Master Pitching Instructors to the pitching curriculum. A manual has been created that outlines the curriculum. The meeting also served to validate the curriculum through discussions and demonstrations.
The following were identified and trained as Master Pitching Instructors:
British Columbia: Rob Guenter, Rick Smith
New Brunswick: Richard LeBlanc
Newfoundland & Labrador: Ward Gosse
North West Territories: Paul Gard & Floyd Daniels
Ontario: Jim Cowdrey
Prince Edward Island: Dayna Angle & Frank Cox
Saskatchewan: Lisa Down
Yukon: Jean Poulin
Manitoba: Greg Bouchard
Nova Scotia: Tim McCumber
The Master Pitching Instructors are going to pilot the curriculum in their respective province over the summer and provide feedback to Softball Canada on how to improve it. Resources to complement the program will be finalized in the fall of 2009 and further aid to the implementation of this evolutionary program.
