Nicole Ratel

Career highlights

2017 – European Championship GB Women’s Softball National Team – Bronze

2017 – European Championship GB National Mixed Slo-pitch – Silver

2011 – 2017 – Member of the GB National Softball Program

2012 – 2016 – Member of SFU Softball Program

2007 – 2012 Fusion 94

2000 – 2007 – NLDS

 

My Story

Softball has been my passion since I started in 2000. Throughout my playing experience, I have been instructed by male coaches, who generally played a different sport or offered to coach because their daughters were on the team. I am truly grateful for their dedication, time, effort and giving me the opportunity to play. It was not until I joined Simon Fraser University, where I discovered that what I had learned was very limited. Four years playing for an NCAA was a very steep learning curve to the next level that softball can be played at.

While finishing my U19 years and going to SFU, I was selected to play for the Great Britain National Softball Team. This lifetime changing experience allowed me to travel, and play against the best in the world. I found a new respect for the game and met amazing people from across the world. Seeing what different teams go through, perceptions of how to play and the athletic ability from all the athletes changed how I how view sports in general.

My next step was moving to England to work, train and coach. While I was there I met amazing people who opened my eyes to different drills, routines and facilities for softball. My passion for coaching started to grow while I trained / worked with the softball academy and coached adults to children.

Coming back to British Columbia, I had a new goal – get my coaching certificate for softball. I started assistant coaching a team and throughout the year, I discovered how little some coaches know. In Canada there is a great program for getting coaches certified but we are missing the next step. This is where do they go to discover drills, tricks or basic information about equipment to give their athletes the best chance. YouTube is very useful but a coach needs time to go through thousands of videos to find what will work best for them and not everyone has that time.

What I want to provide with this site is easy access to drills, information and help to further coaches ability’s to get the best out of their players.

The goal of this website is to create an easy way for parents/coaches to find drills that can help their daughters develop their skills. The drills will be directed towards age groups and where that age group should be in development. It will also discuss why each drill is valuable and what it should teach the player and how it is connected to another drill further on. Please leave questions, comments about the videos or what you want to see.

Next Steps…

If you have any questions please send me an email - ntmratel@gmail.com