A gold medal in the Division One U19 softball city championship has capped off what has been another successful season for Cochrane minor softball.

In many ways, this gold medal earned in an all-but-perfect season illustrates the growing success of girls softball in Cochrane. It was the first year Cochrane has fielded a U19 team in the Calgary league and in its own way illustrates how softball has been nurtured over the years.

Head coach Tony Temple, who started as an assistant coach when his oldest daughter Kaitlin joined the U10 team, says he never stopped to consider the significance of winning gold in the first year of U19 play.

"I hadn't thought about it from the perspective that it was the first U19 team," says Temple, "but as a coach, it's a very gratifying feeling when at the end you have such success with a group of kids like this. It's been fun to watch them grow as players over the years and get to this point."

This team has a solid core who started playing together in U10 and has had much success over the years. Of the eight years they played together, he believes they won six city championships.

"It's kind of funny," says Temple. "When we were actually building the team, we had to recruit some of my daughter's friends who had never really played ball. We've had some lean years or having 10 or 11 players but we had a core of seven or eight girls who were always there and we filled in the gaps when some were too old to play or went on to do other activities."

Cochrane beat the South Bow River team in a close 8-7 final and it was the second time the two teams met in the double knockout format. Finishing first in the division, Cochrane had a bye in the first round, then went undefeated through the playoffs.

Older and more mature, the players pretty much charted the course of the team this season, says Temple. They even made the tournament selection and settled upon a Kelowna tournament that offered a high calibre of play. The competition was tough, the ball fun and they came home with a bronze medal.

"We've got some really great athletes and it's been a real pleasure to coach them over the years and fun to watch them develop. Letting the girls chart the course for the season and watching the success they had was pretty fun for us."

The team took a more-is-less philosophy this season and really didn't spend too much time practising.

"It sounds kind of funny, but we didn't practise that much, and we were very relaxed. We've always been very low key and very positive in our coaching approach. The more relaxed you are, the better you play."

"We always made it about the girls. Winning and losing was immaterial. For us, it was about skill development and building a team and going out and doing our best all the time."

He says the girls had a sarcastic twist to their cheers when the chips were down.

"One of their cheers, when they were down or having a tough game, was 'Suck Less'.

Right now, all of the team's players are eligible to return next season and the vast majority are talking about returning. Temple, though, knows it's a changing landscape for players this age. If they decide to continue, including his daughter, the coaching staff is also game.

The U10 Snakes won gold.In all, Cochrane softball teams won three medals this season. The U10 Snakes won gold and the U12 Purple Panthers won silver. The U14 and U16 teams also had great seasons but ran into tough luck in the playoffs.

Minor Ball vice-president Jodie Eckert, who's in charge of girls softball, says it's been a grand slam of a season for all of the teams.

"This is the first year that we've had a true U19 team. We had every single age group represented, from U10 to U19, which is the first for Cochrane Softball," says Eckert.

The U12 Purple Panthers won silver.

"It's good to see the growth again in the teams and in the quality of the ball. Our kids are playing at a great skill level. It doesn't matter if they are div two or div three or div one, they just want to play good ball. We found a place for these girls to play good competitive ball. We've found our niche. We have good processes in place for the evaluation and placing girls where they'll fit in the best and have fun."

"It's been fantastic. The coaches have been great and the parents have been super. It really does take a village."

Many of the players look forward to the season as a chance to reconnect, she says.

"Many go to different schools and it's during ball season they get to connect every year, so they are super enthusiastic to see each other and spend a couple of months together."