Tim Macumber grew up in Newport with big dreams.

The 41-year-old developed a love for softball at a young age while watching his father, Billy, and his teammates play.

In the early stages of his career, Macumber set his sights high: he wanted to win aworld championship.

The first baseman/pitcher knew his dream was a bit ambitious. Once or twice, he wondered if he’d retire having met his objective.

“I knew it was a stretch but I really put a lot of time and effort into the sport,” the Truro resident said in a phone interview Nov. 23.

Macumber spent eight years with Team Canada. In 2003, he played a pivotal role in securing Canada Pan American Games glory in a gold medal game against the United States, in the Dominican Republic, by leading his team in runs batted in.

“It was awesome. We beat USA 4-2 in the gold medal game. It was one of the highlights of my career.”

The next highlight came seven years later, when, after playing the sport for 35 years, Macumber’s softball career ended on a high note.

“In 2010, I won the world championships with a team from Broken Bow, Nebraska,” he said. “I retired after that.”

Macumber was inducted into the Softball Canada Hall of Fame Nov. 12. He says the early recognition came as a pleasant surprise.

“I guess the surprise would have been going in fairly quick. I just retired last year.”

With several championship wins under his cap and experience coming out on top playing against the best of the best, Macumber is now focusing on training the prospective softball stars of tomorrow.

“I have young kids in the sport now,” Macumber said. “I just wanted some more time to watch and get involved in my kids’ sports.”