Coach Avance Talks Majors, Minors Softball

Maddie Avance coached both majors and minors softball teams this year. She said she stepped up to the challenge when it became clear that nobody was going to volunteer to take up the minors team. “I was going to stick to fast pitch,” said Avance. “But I had already been working with a lot of the girls prior to the season and nobody volunteered to coach minors.”

Avance said the season started with practices at the beginning of May. The teams first games were May 25. She said the season officially ends June 28-20 in Plentywood, but said the teams may participate in a tournament in Watford City July 10. Avance said she wishes more people would come to cheer on the girls. She said the volume and level of support could be higher at games and added that she’d love it if parents and fans would cheer for the teams as a whole, rather than limiting claps to support relatives and friends. “Come out and cheer them all on,” said Avance.

Avance put in considerable team building work this summer, with preseason workout sessions and an all-night lock-in attended by both squads. “All 26 kids stayed the night,” said Avance. “We watched scary movies.” Avance’s efforts extended to fundraising for new uniforms and searching for additional opportunities to play beyond the scheduled season.

While interrogative energy and commentary from parents has remained strong this year, Avance said there was a lack of coaching volunteers. She said she will be on the lookout for helpers and assistant coaches moving forward.

Avance was born and raised in Sikeston, Mo. Following high school, she attended at Finlandia University in Hancock, Mich., where she studied physical therapy.

“I started playing fastpitch softball at age 11 and immediately fell in Love with the sport,” she said. She said being asked to coach in Culbertson was a honor.

“This is my first year coaching and boy it was definitely a ride,” said Avance. “But I wouldn’t trade it for the world. My girls are so awesome and they have truly made this first year more than I could have asked for. They have taught me so much in such little time and I hope I have taught them something too. I can’t wait to take my experience this year and craft new ways to coach them in the coming years.”

For more information, visit the Culbertson Softball Facebook page.