April’s Youth Athlete of the Month is unafraid of new opportunities that come her way

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — April’s Youth Athlete of the Month is a teenager who wasn’t intimidated by new barriers or unfamiliar roles.

Zoe Vermette is a 16-year-old high school student who plays catcher and third base with North Peace Minor Baseball.

Originally from Kelowna, she began her athletic career playing soccer. She switched to a different sport after moving to Fort St. John four years ago.

“I wasn’t really interested in [soccer],” said Vermette. “When I came to Fort St John, my mom suggested maybe we try and play softball.”

“I thought, ‘yeah, that actually sounds fun.’ [My mom] and I would play catch and practice together. So I thought, ‘why not?’”

When Vermette went to try out, she was surprised to find she was the only girl competing on a team of boys.

Vermette admitted while difficult, she took on the challenge to prove herself and play. 

“It was so insanely intimidating,” Vermette recalled. “It was the reason why I almost didn’t even start in the first place.[I wasn’t sure] about the idea of playing with a whole bunch of guys.”

“I didn’t know if they were going to be judgmental or how they’re going to feel about having a girl on their team.”

Seeing other girls on opposing squads eased her concerns.  When asked about which position she prefers, Vermette didn’t mix words.

“Being a catcher is such an important part of the game,” Vermette said. “It is just so cool being that important.”

Like any successful athlete, Vermette maintains a regular exercise regimen. She says she does exercises to improve the skills associated with playing catcher and regularly heads to batting cages in Grande Prairie for batting practice.

The North Peace Secondary School student told Energeticcity.ca while she isn’t dwelling on how far she could go in the sport, the idea of playing in college “would be a dream.”

Away from the diamond, Vermette enjoys quadding, which she described as “fun.”

As a result of Vermette’s nomination, she will receive a gift card of $100 courtesy of Fort Motors.

The Youth Athlete of the Month is sponsored by Fort Motors. Visit the Youth Athlete of the Month website to nominate someone today.