Father and daughter inducted into hall of fame

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Emile Berube, softball player, coach, sponsor and above all, promoter, has raised the sports profile of the community of Calahoo with his exemplary achievements over the past 40 years.

Now his daughter Shelley (Berube) Gadoury has made her own mark as a champion softball player.

The Alberta Amateur Softball Association Hall of Fame has recognized them both. Emile was inducted into the hall of fame in the sport builder category, while Shelley was inducted into the athlete category on Oct. 13 last year.

The provincial association subsequently nominated Shelley to the Canadian Softball Hall of Fame where she was inducted on Dec. 1, 2001.

Shelley grew up in Calahoo where she learned softball under the expert tutelage of her father. She came into prominence in 1985, winning the junior women's provincial championships. She went on to win numerous provincial and Canadian top player and pitcher awards.

Shelley played for the Canadian national women's fast pitch team in the world softball championships in Normal, Illinois in 1990.

In addition, teams on which she played won 12 straight provincial championships.

Known as a "tough as nails" pitcher, she won eight top pitcher awards at Canadian championships in those 12 years and four most valuable player awards. Her teams won two gold medals in 1988 and 1990, along with five silver medals between 1985 and 1992 and a bronze medal in 1996.

"Sports for me has been preparation for life in general," she said. "You've got to learn to work with people; you've got to learn to take orders; you've got to all work together for a goal, and that's kind of sometimes what work's about."

She said if youth can pursue the game "it is the best thing that can happen to them. And it is a very rewarding experience."

Shelley, now 36, officially retired from the sport in 1998, as she is busy with her young family and with teaching special education at Broxton Park School in Spruce Grove. But she is still involved in softball in Calahoo, teaching the game to her three sons, ages eight, six and four. She also assists her father with coaching and she does pitching clinics.

The older Berube coached Shelley, her sister Terri and brother Kenny up through the ranks and to many Canadian championships. He also coached teams that went to Western Canadian championships in Kamloops, B.C. and Portage La Prairie, Man., and on to many Canadian championships.

Emile was rewarded for his efforts in promoting softball by taking home the 1990 Softball Canada Coach of the Year Award.

In some people's minds, however, his biggest contribution to the game has occurred in the last six years, as it is during this time that he has helped the once floundering Calahoo Mite boys' team to reach the provincial championships.

All across Alberta his teams have come to be known for their base running, pitching and discipline. Calahoo teams have won two gold and two silver medals, and in 2000, Calahoo sent Mite A and Mite B boys' teams to the provincials in Consort, Alta. The Mite A team captured the silver medal and the Mite B team took home the gold.

Emile has resisted the urge to move up with the boys as they develop, instead remaining at home to teach Mite-level players the fundamentals of the game. He not only continues to coach the Mite boys but he also volunteers his time with the Calahoo Juniors.