Dover resident named 'Mr. Softball'

December 1, 2016

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Port Dover resident Mike Goodridge was named the Ontario Amateur Softball Association Frank Feaver Memorial or 'Mr. Softball' award recipient at a banquet Nov. 26 in Oakville. JACOB ROBINSON/SIMCOE REFORMER

ORIGINAL STORY by Jacob Robinson, Simcoe Reformer

There isn't much Mike Goodridge hasn't seen on a softball diamond, and as of Saturday, there are few awards he hasn't captured because of it.

Thanks to 40-plus years of service holding dozens of titles along the way, Goodridge – a new resident of Port Dover – was named the Ontario Amateur Softball Association (OASA) Frank Feaver Memorial or “Mr. Softball” award recipient at a banquet Nov. 26 in Oakville.

The trophy is reserved for a player, coach or administrator that exemplifies dedication, service and devotion to the sport, and has played a major role in its expansion and development.

“It's pretty substantial,” said OASA past president George Ryder, also a Port Dover resident. “It's probably the highest award you can get within the game of male softball in Ontario other than maybe a lifetime membership...and Mike is already a life member.”

Growing up in Kingston, Goodridge developed a passion for the game that has only grown over time. He started as a convenor, primarily looking after a team in Verona, Ontario, perennial contenders for the province's intermediate crown.

“Right off the hop, I'm going to places like Ingersoll, Woodstock, Caledonia,” Goodridge recalled. “I got to meet people from across the province – softball people – and we had a similar passion for the game. That helped nurture my growth in the game.”

It wasn't long before Goodridge was asked to become an OASA executive member at the annual general meeting in Sudbury.

“I drove home on Cloud 9, I couldn't say yes fast enough,” Goodridge said.

He was elected OASA president in 1980 before moving on to positions with Softball Ontario and Softball Canada.

He served three terms with the country's softball organization before working with the International Softball Congress – a collection of the world's best talent – eventually becoming the first Canadian chairman of the board.

“The game gets in your blood,” Goodridge explained. “I was always on the administrative side and that's the part of the game I loved because you've got to be organized – things just don't happen without organization.”

Though he travelled far and wide, Goodridge never forgot his roots. In recent years, he's returned to take a larger role with the OASA as administrator of the 14-team Masters Division.

“A lot of the players that I watched play as midgets and juniors, now they're playing masters,” Goodridge points out, referencing competitors like Hagersville's Adam Smith. “It was a new, exciting task – something new to grab a hold of.”

Goodridge – who relocated to Norfolk in July of 2015 - does much of his off-season work during a yearly trek to Florida with his wife Cyndee.

“There'll be no sabbatical for Michael,” Goodridge said. “I enjoy it too much.”

Despite his lengthy resume – which includes hosting clinics and umpiring games in Kingston's penitentiary system - Goodridge said he never expected the Mr. Softball honour to come his way.

“I started out back in the 60s because I loved the game,” he said. “Each year I go to the AGM and each year you see some very worthy recipient...and quietly in the back of your mind a voice says, 'It would be really nice – maybe some year I'll get a chance to win that.'”

“I was one excited boy on Saturday, that's for sure.”

So too were the many people Goodridge has worked alongside over the years.

“It's his passion, he loves it,” Ryder noted. “It's good to see him get it because he deserves it. It's special too because I know it really meant a lot to him and I think it meant a lot to a lot of people to see him get it.”

jrobinson@postmedia.com 

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