The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Tim Babcock didn't enter the world of coaching for any sort of recognition, but his dedication has brought it his way. The dugout boss of the Flin Flon Selects girls softball team has received the Thanks Coach! award from Coaching Manitoba and the Manitoba Lotteries Corp. "It's an honour to first be nominated by your players and then be recognized by Coaching Manitoba," said Babcock, The Reminder's sports reporter by day. "The team worked really hard this year and it was a nice way to cap off the season." The lifelong Flin Flonner accepted the engraved acrylic award last week while in Dauphin with his team for the 2004 MTS Manitoba Summer Games. The hundreds of Games participants were handed nomination forms, with two coaches from each region being selected for the honour. "There were so many coaches, and this being my first year, I was kind of surprised," said Babcock. He volunteered to coach the Selects this year after no one else stepped forward, putting his love of softball to good use. "I thought that somebody had to take these kids to Dauphin," said the coach. "I had taken my coaching levels and made sure that I was qualified to take the team and give something back to the sport." Although honoured to receive the award, Babcock insists it's the result of a team effort. "Coaching isn't something you do by yourself. There's a pretty good support staff of parents and assistant coaches," he said. "And the kids are great, too. So they make it all worthwhile."
