For the Petersons, it's a fastptich family thing

For a lot of people, sports are a family thing and when it comes to Dave Peterson and his daughter Kinzee, that's especially true.

Whether it's watching sports, playing, coaching, working as a referee or umpire, or even just talking about it, much of their lives revolve around sports and they probably wouldn't have it any other way.

"It depends on the season," Kinzee Peterson said. "If it's golf season, we talk about golf. If it's hockey season, then we talk hockey and right now, it's softball and we will talk about softball forever. We will sit there at breakfast on Sunday morning's and look back on the weekend just talk it all out."

While sports can sometimes force families to spend time apart during games and practices, Kinzee and Dave haven't had to worry about that this softball season. That's because, for the past two years, they have gotten to work side-by-side as player and coach. Kinzee has been the Blue Ponies everyday catcher the past two seasons while Dave Peterson was hired on as an assistant coach to Tony Vigliotti for the Blue Pony fastpitch team.

"When Tony asked me to do it I wanted to do it," Dave Peterson said. "With him being the head coach it has worked out great. It's a lot of fun. I have coached all my life. I have played (fastpitch) and coached and did a lot of umpiring. I have coached these kids since Kinzee has been old enough to play. I have coached hockey and my son, Theron, in football. But softball and baseball, those are my sports. That is what I know about and hopefully, I am able to pass along some of that to these kids."

Throughout her high school career, Kinzee Peterson has been a three-sport athlete, playing golf and softball for the Ponies in addition to playing hockey for the Havre Ice Hawks. As a goalie, Peterson attracted the attention of colleges and has offers to play hockey. Yet, she said she is also potentially looking to play softball at Montana State University-Billings.

"I really like MSU-Billings," Peterson said. "And I am hoping I will be able to play some softball down there, but it's still up in the air."

Peterson said that while she did want to play hockey collegiately at one time, now her hope is to be able to play softball.

"I just really like the atomosphere of softball," Peterson said. "Everyone is always cheering each other on and I have always enjoyed hockey, but I think I have enjoyed softball just a little bit more."

One thing that has helped make this season enjoyable for Peterson is the fact that she is having a stellar offensive campaign that includes eight home runs, something Dave said she didn't learn from him.

"No," Dave Peterson said with a chuckle when asked if he hit home runs like his daughter, who has 11 total the past two seasons and 12 throughout her high school career. "I wasn't. I was a base hitter. I wish I could have hit a few more home runs. But I tell her, what I tell all of our kids. And if you look at her home runs, they are hard-hit balls. They are not the sweeping home runs. That's what we try to teach all of the kids. Don't swing for home runs, just swing the bat and find your zone and she has really found her zone his year.'"

That lesson has clearly taken hold as Peterson has proven to be more than just a power hitter, batting .500 for the season, with more singles (10) than extra-base hits (9). She also has a team-high 26 RBIs and has drawn eight walks, which gives her an on-base percentage of .596.

"She really is a good hitter," HHS head coach Tony Vigliotti said. "When we travel around, Belgrade has some awful good hitters, but other than that, from what I've seen, she is one of the best hitters in the state. She knows where her pitch is. She knows the strike zone and her being a catcher has helped with that and, this year, she is just seeing the ball really well. She is not swinging at bad pitches and when she gets a pitch to hit, she is really driving it."

Dave has certainly influenced Kinzee's career as a player and in fact, both of his children, have taken to sports. But with a nudge from Dave, they have also started taking up officiating too.

"Kinzee has been doing softball the last couple of years," Dave Peterson said. "And I have really been trying to get Theron into it too with how short we are, but I think with me being around softball for 25 years and doing baseball, it has been a big factor with both of my kids. When I was growing up, if a game was on, I was always at the ballpark and my kids are kind of the same way. If I was down umpiring or I was at the baseball field, they would be up in the standings watching."

"Both of my parents have played softball and we were always down here (Sixth Avenue Field)" Kinzee Peterson added. "I think that helped get me interested."

Being the catcher, Kinzee relays the pitch calls to the pitchers and she gets those from Dave, which adds another level to their working relationship as player and coach.

And, as one could anticipate, they don't always see eye-to-eye.

"Sometimes, it's that," Peterson said, indicating disagreements. "And sometimes, he will call a pitch too early and he just won't look back at me. I keep trying to look back at him for a different call and sometimes, he just won't look back at me."

However, outside the occasional bump in the road, both have enjoyed working together.

"We disagree at times," Kinzee said. "But I have really enjoyed having him. It has really helped."

Dave said he has enjoyed coaching Kinzee and both of his children, even though at times, he said, he has been tougher on them than anyone else.

"I think my kids would tell you I am a little tougher on them," Peterson said. "I do that for a couple of reasons. I want them to get better and I want all of the kids to know I am here for all of them and not just my kids. But getting the chance to coach Kinzee and all of these kids has been great. I have really enjoyed it."

The presence of both Petersons has aided the success of Havre softball, but it's also clear that both Kinzee and Dave Peterson have been able to enjoy that success even more because they have got to share in it, something, not every father and daughter get to do.