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Gord Collings truly outstanding in his field after UBC names new ballpark after softball coach

“How do you walk away from this now? You can’t when they’re putting your name on things." — Gord Collings in reference to Collings Field at Nobel Park, the new home of his UBC Thunderbirds.

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Gord Collings has his name on a ballpark and a little ammunition to go with it for anyone asking when the 71-year-old may retire from coaching softball.

“How do you walk away from this now? You can’t when they’re putting your name on things,” he cracked in reference to Collings Field at Nobel Park, the new home of his UBC Thunderbirds.

He was having a little fun with it all. These are joyous times for Collings and the T-Birds. Their new digs officially opened Saturday, with SFU coming by for a scrimmage. Located at the south end of the campus in Westbrook Village, the ballpark features a resurfaced field plus new dugouts, bullpens, bleachers and fencing.

The team had previously been playing home games at Softball City, which is an hour’s drive away in South Surrey.

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Things haven’t always been so upbeat for softball at UBC, though.

In February, 2014, the UBC Sport Review Project set about stripping the team of its varsity status and making it a club program. Then UBC vice-president of students Louise Cowin has spearheaded the six-month review. She denied at the time that it was about cutting costs but all the varsity teams were asked to generate funding.

The Thunderbirds softball team was founded in 2010. Collings, who had started up the Douglas College program and had success at the club level with the Delta Heat, signed on at UBC in 2013. 

He never wavered after the Sport Review, telling his players then “Don’t look at a called third strike,” a reference to not giving in. 

There was a court case for a time. There was also Collins and Rick O’Connor, a program founder and a key fundraiser, meeting with school officials like then UBC president Dr. Arvind Gupta in a bid to make things work.

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Collings was asked if the Thunderbirds, who were playing as an independent in the American-based National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, could become a full-time conference member, and whether or not they could secure a home park. It happened on both counts. They got into the NAIA’s Cascade Conference, and they cut a deal to be regular tenants at Softball City.

“We went a couple of years without funding,” Collings said. “It wasn’t easy. But we’re back on track now.”

The COVID-19 pandemic is the next obstacle. Collings’ team hasn’t played a Cascade Conference game since March 7, 2020. They haven’t listed their 2022 schedule as of yet.

Colling’s players haven’t given up though.

“This is why I still love this,” he said. “I go out to every practice and I come home with a smile on my face. They’re still so into it and we aren’t playing games. They give you everything they have and we aren’t playing games. They’re so dedicated and so committed.

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“I’m going to be 72 and I feel like I’m 52. I get so much energy from these young ladies. I’m not going to put a timeline on when I might retire from coaching. I guess I’ll stop when my body says that it’s time.”

Coach Gord Collings and his UBC Thunderbirds on Saturday at the inaugural game at Cowlings Field.
Coach Gord Collings and his UBC Thunderbirds on Saturday at the inaugural game at Cowlings Field. Photo by RICH LAM /PNG

No one is saying how much the ballpark has cost and who paid exactly for what. In a UBC press release, there’s a reference to the project being “made possible with support from the university, and a fundraising campaign spearheaded by volunteers from the softball community. Rick O’Connor, Bill Sherritt, Deron Freer and Scott Jones worked to gather donations from over 70 individuals and businesses to raise valuable funds to begin the construction.”

There’s also a reference to how Gord’s younger brother Al and wife Hilary Stevens, through the Collings Stevens Family Foundation, have “ensured that Collings Field at Nobel Park will serve as a lasting legacy,” to the Gord’s dedication and tireless efforts.

It’s all proof of Collings being an easy guy to pull for, especially when you consider where this program could have been seven years ago.

“This is going to make a big difference to our team,” Collings said of the new home base. “My girls are over the moon. They were at practice the other day, and they were literally shaking with excitement about getting their own field.”

sewen@postmedia.com

Twitter: @SteveEwen

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