CCGS teaches girls the fundamentals of softball and the importance of teamwork and friendship.
Venture out onto the softball field and you’ll see girls of all ages having the time of their lives. These young athletes are laughing, talking and running around while others are perfecting their swings or practicing catching and throwing. This is exactly the vision that CCGS President Miriam Trelka had for Coconut Creek Girls Softball – a safe haven where girls can come together to develop their passion for sports and form lifelong friendships.
“Coconut Creek Girls Softball has done so much for me,” says 12-year-old Rebeca Dumé. “I make new friends every year and, of course, have fun. I’ve learned how to play softball, how to play with sportsmanship and how to work as a team. Most girls who play for CCGS will agree with me when I say that it is the best.”
Dumé’s father, Omar, is the last remaining original board member of CCGS and still serves as treasurer.
The city of Coconut Creek first recognized CCGS as an official softball league in 2010, when there were just 83 players for a total of seven teams. Today, Trelka proudly announces that registration had more than doubled for the 2014-15 season, with 170 players and 16 teams. Both of CCGS’s programs, recreational fast-pitch softball and travel fast-pitch softball (CRUSH), have grown exponentially in a few short years.
Trelka maintains that the league upholds the positive attributes of “dedication, discipline, dignity, respect, leadership, self-confidence and giving back to the community.” She adds that, “This was never really about softball, it was about life… about preparing the girls to go on and do truly wonderful things. It is about learning to be a part of a family or a team, learning how to succeed through teamwork and dedication, working through hardship by depending on fundamental skills and learning the wisdom to always seek new opportunities to improve.”
CCGS is run entirely by volunteers who share a passion for softball and, more importantly, an eagerness to see their daughters grow into engaging young women who embrace the league’s strong values. Clare Celocia, who has been playing for CCGS for six years, reveals why she looks forward to each upcoming season: “I register year after year because I know that my coaches, teammates and the league itself will make the upcoming season just as exhilarating (or even more so) than the previous. It also gives me the privilege to be part of a team, to exercise, to release my tension from school and just go out on the field and be free.”
Darin Trelka sums it up best with his passionate words about the league: “Life, like softball, will throw you curveballs, will present bad hops and will sometimes make you feel like you can’t win, no matter what you do. But if you take the skills and traits you’ve learned – teamwork, initiative, intensity, support and dedication – there is NOTHING you cannot achieve.” ?
Coconut Creek Girls Softball
754.200.1786
creeksoftball.com
