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29| W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,M ay 17,2018 w aterloochronicle.ca DON'T LET YOUR VEHICLE L EASE CHAIN YO U DOWN. BUST OUT . LeaseBusters.com is the largest vehicle lease marketplace in Canada - we'll unlock you from your vehicle lease commitment... save time, early termination fees and penalties. Call now for a free consultation 1-888-357-2678 or visit us at www.LeaseBusters.com You get us, and we get you. The people you know, the shops and businesses you support, come to life every Thursday in your Waterloo Chronicle and every minute at WaterlooChronicle.ca Seeyounextweek. For the second time, fast- pitch softball star Brandon Horn is a nominee for the K-W Athlete of the Year. Horn, a Waterloo native, wasn't present at the nomi- nation ceremony on April 10, is one of 12 nominees for the honour which has previ- ously been won by the likes of local legends Lennox Lewis, Mandy Bujold and Scott Stevens. Horn was also nominat- ed for the award for his ex- emplary 2015, where he was a part of Canada's gold med- al winning team at the To- ronto Pan Am Games. "It feels just as special [as the first time]. It was such an honour being recognized that one time in 2015," said Horn. "To be recognized a second time, I'm just really happy." The Waterloo native has played for several teams throughout his softball ca- reer including the Can Am Twins of the Canadian Championship League, where he had a standout 2017. The second baseman posted a .405 batting aver- age with a .522 on-base per- centage while scoring 16 runs. With the nature of the sport, Horn says it's normal to play for several teams, even in the duration of one season. He has played for the Waterloo Wolverines when he was younger, as well as the Waterloo Junior Twins. Horn also tried out for Triple A baseball when he was younger, but he didn't make the team, which de- terred him from the sport a bit, he said. He picked up the sport when he was three or four when his parents put a baseball glove in his hand. After taking the traditional route and play T-ball, before switching gears to softball, where he made his first rep team at ten-years-old. "I feel like my quickness has been really an impor- tant factor or contributor to my success in softball," said Horn, who got the opportu- nity to leadoff for Canada at the 2017 world softball championship. In 2017, Horn described his proudest accomplish- ment as being a part of the Canadian national softball team that captured bronze at that very championship in Whitehorse. The 32-year-old posted a .308 batting average and .438 on-base percentage and had six runs as Canada defeated Australia in the third-place match of the 16-team tour- nament. Horn, a plumber by trade, was particularly proud of getting the oppor- tunity to set the table as the leadoff bat for Canada. "I always kind of thought of myself as a leadoff hitter," Horn said. "So to actually get the opportunity to be a leadoff hitter for the nation- al team, I don't want to say it was a dream or a lifelong goal because I never really thought it was possible for a lot of years, but it's some- thing that I'm proud of." Softball star Brandon Horn relishes 2nd nomination for K-W Athlete of the Year NAMISH MODI nmodi@waterloochronicle.ca