Meet Tennley Dumoulin — the Simcoe ballplayer chasing a home run

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Meet Tennley Dumoulin. She is 13, in Grade 8, and she comes from Simcoe. She wears number 34 for the Port Dover girls and plays just about everywhere on the field. Tennley found baseball through her love of girls hockey, and she stayed for the people. The teammates, the coaches, and yes, the cheers. Ask her about her proudest moment and she will tell you about a big hit. Then she will tell you about the chants from the bench. This is her story.

Her Story

Tennley has always played sports with her dad. They shoot hoops in the driveway and play catch on the road most days, and almost always after dinner once summer rolls around. She simply loves to play. For the last three years she has been on the ice with the Norfolk Hericanes, and girls hockey won her over completely. Better than boys hockey, she says, because she loves the girls on her team.

When she heard there was girls baseball, she figured she would give it a try. If girls hockey was that much fun, why not. It turned out to be just as good. The girls are funny and kind, she says, especially Odelia, and her coaches Janina and Linda are really good at what they do.

Her proudest moment came fast. She got a big hit in her very first game. But what she talks about most is not the hit. It is the cheers. Her team has the best ones, she says, and one of her favorites goes "Cream it like pie. Mommy pie." She laughs every time. When you ask who shaped her most, the answer is simple. Her dad, because he always plays with her. And the girls on her hockey and baseball teams, because they make every sport more fun.

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What's Next

Tennley has a short, honest list of goals. She wants to hit a home run, make a jumping catch, and learn all the cheers. She knows a few of them so far and she is working on the rest. If the home run does not come this year, that is okay with her. She just really likes playing with the girls.

Down the road, Tennley wants to be a doctor or a nurse who works with kids. She has had a lot of appointments since she was a baby, and she loves the people who took care of her. Now she wants to do the same for other kids, the way they helped her.

Who She's Thanking

Tennley has a long list of thank-yous, and she means every one. Thanks to her dad for always playing with her, and to her mom for buying her equipment. Thank you to all of her Hericane coaches and teammates, and to Janina and Linda for being so nice. And a big thank you to Leah, Chelsea, Odelia, and the Dover girls for cheering her on every single game. The other girls, she says, are what make girls sports fun.