I hope all of you out there had a wonderful summer filled with new adventures that kept you up too late and made you laugh too hard. Welcome back to another season of Bengal softball and the beginning of mine and Jessica's (my assistant) second year leading the program!
We ended last year talking about the development of our team into strong, confident women. Young women who we hope would approach both softball and life as young adults who are aggressive and fearless, who love being in college and who have a great time doing EVERYTHING. I call it “young energy.” I mean I have energy with the best of them, but there is something about “young energy” that people out of there 20's no longer possess. I know everyone out there “30 and up” is shaking their head yes in agreement. And, everyone out there “29 and under” have no clue as to what I'm talking about. You just wait!
So “young energy” describes my team perfectly. They are slap happy, silly, witty, laugh until you can't breathe funny. I don't know if Jessica and I will be the same after this season. For all of you with children, do you remember the first time your child mimicked a not so appropriate word you used when you stubbed your toe in the middle of the night on the bed? Your immediate reaction was to laugh, but you knew you couldn't or maybe shouldn't? Yeah, that is my team. Sometimes I have to turn around and laugh. I love this quality in them and am careful not to squelch it, but I am learning how to coach it. In 15 years of coaching, I have never had a team like this.
Now don't get me wrong, these kids can play. Something magical happens when they get a ball in their hand… they transform into this confident athlete that even has a bit of swagger. I am not saying we don't have a lot of work to do because we definitely do, but the glimpse they give me at times makes me tingle with anticipation. The great thing is I know they feel and see it too. They aren't willing to admit it yet, but it's there… the unspoken element that could unlock the door to a great season.
That, in my opinion, is the key to everything. Athletes that aren't afraid to talk about being good and what it will take to get there. The head coach at Michigan, Carol Hutchins (known simply as Hutch), is one of my mentors in the game. Her team is usually in the top 10 every year, making a trip to regionals, super-regionals, and always right there within reach of making it to the CWS (College World Series). In 2005, her team won it all. When I asked her what made that year so different she replied that they weren't afraid to talk about it. That they had been talking about winning it since the fall. She and her staff weren't talking about it – her TEAM was. I tell my team all the time- the most powerful force in nature is your thoughts. If those are working for you, you will have the opportunity to be unstoppable.
As you know, today is September 13 – 10 years and two days after the awful events our country endured in New York, at the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania. Yesterday, I asked my team to spend some time reflecting on those events, praying for all of those so deeply affected, and I shared my own story about that awful day with them. They were all so young when 9/11 happened that I don't know if they truly grasp how horrifying it was to live it. Hearing all of the stories of sadness and bravery yesterday reminds us all how truly small the game of softball is. How it is really just a game and although we get wrapped up in our own reality, it is good to take a step back and make sure we are valuing our family and friends and that we are working towards being quality human beings. We will never forget.
Until next time.
-Julie
Past Blogs
May 2, 2011
April 4, 2011
March 7, 2011
February 7, 2011
January 3, 2011
December 21, 2010
2011-12 Roster
To view roster
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