Kurtis Nicholson seems to have an uncanny knack of playing on provincial gold medal winning baseball teams but if he's got a secret to his success, he's not sharing it.
The Bonnyville Centralized High School graduate won gold in 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2009 but the humble Nicholson gave a lot of the credit for his wins to his teammates and lady luck.
“Part of winning all the medals was luck,” he said. “But another part of it was the fact that lots of us have been playing together for a long time. I've known most of my teammates for three or four years now and we've learned to work better together over the years.”
Nicholson fell in love with baseball from the age of four and has played on competitive teams for most of his life. The pure love he has for the game is something that is easy for him to describe.
“I love everything about baseball,” he said. “It's a game that everyone can play and you don't have to be really athletic to play it. It's much more of a mental game than other sports.”
Nicholson is an extremely versatile player and is comfortable playing every position on the field but admitted that he enjoyed playing catcher the best.
“I like it because you're involved in every play and you're always a part of the game.”
Bonnyville minor baseball head coach Jim Church, who nominated Nicholson for the Bonnyville Nouvelle Future Star award, explained why he felt Nicholson was deserving of the honour.
“He's just a real good kid to coach,” Church said. “He always comes to practice on time, puts in extra work, is willing to learn and he's a real team player. He doesn't have to be in the spotlight and he's an absolute pleasure to coach.
Church, who coached Nicholson on his 2007 provincial winning team, cited the fact that Nicholson has the ability to play any position as a reason for why he's been so valuable to the Bonnyville minor baseball program.
“He's a workhorse at catcher but he's a true utility player,” he said. “He's a player that will play anywhere and play well without complaining. You don't often get that kind of attitude in midget ball.”
Another reason Church appreciates Nicholson is his positive attitude.
“Everything is positive with Kurtis,” he said. “If somebody misses a play or a bad bounce happens he is the first guy to give his teammate positive feedback.”
According to Nicholson, the highlight of his playing career in Bonnyville was his first provincial gold in 2004.
“The look on coach Ned Brand's face when we mercied the team in the finals was pretty cool,” he said. He added that the celebration after, which included dumping water on Brand, was also a moment he won't soon forget.
Nicholson also said that the provincial final tournament in 2008, when he won a silver, was a good showing personally for him.
Nicholson is planning on attending the University of Lethbridge in the fall and hopes to catch on with the college team. He also mentioned that he would like to thank his mom and dad for all of the driving to and from games and practices that they have done for him over the years.
As the Nouvelle's Future Star for May, Kurtis has received a community gift pack courtesy of Sylvestre's Source for Sports, the Centennial Centre, Cedar Barn, Subway, Broiler Steakhouse and Scorpion Steam & Hot Shot.
Future Star nomination forms are available at the Nouvelle front desk.
