Woodstock Teams

Coaches

Great pics Stretchy!!!

I really enjoyed meeting some new friends, like Steve Proctor, Brooke Morton (limp outkicked his coverage) and many others.


The Coaches I met for the first time

- Meeting Ray Allen with the Lake Monster's was like meeting someone you've known all your life. There doesn't get anybody better...or nicer. It's obvious why he has been so successful placing many of his players to the next level.

- Ty Bissette is an amazing coach. He's out of the Bear Bryant mode where he can take his'n's and beat your'ns or take your'ns and beat his'ns. If a team is a reflection of a coach, Ty is a scrapper and usually will find a way to win. It's no wonder of all the success with the Wilson area in general and the Bulldogs in particular...very, very impressive.

- Jason Harris is a big man...and thankfully is a nice guy. I wouldn't want Jason to get mad at me....but I love his demeanor and the way he "handles" his players. His players work hard, but have fun...just like Jason. It was really a treat for me to meet him. And the Heat Organization is an outstanding program. Jason has some studs.

- Coach Tom Willoughby of the Canes: Can you find a coach that's more intense!!! Seriously, what a great guy. He gets it: He commands a presence, but knows how to relate and motivate his players---they all love him. I left with the feeling--how cool it is to have a son play for him.

- Coach Doug Collins: I've heard so many good things about Doug, but now I have witnessed why. First, he is around my age, so he's smart as heck. Second, the man was born to coach. You only have to be around him for a little while to realize there isn't anything he hasn't seen and nothing he can't coach. He reminds me of the coaches i had when i was growing up---very, very wise.

I've been around some coaching knuckleheads in my life, but the coaches I mentioned above, I would feel honored if they coached my son. I hope I get to see them more often down the road...and let them buy me dinner one night.

The last person I am mentioning was a complete surprise; Bill Petty (Jeff's Dad.) As it turned out, I knew of Bill for over 30 years. His brother, Jim, and I, are old time friends having worked together for years. It was fun to talk to Bill about mutual friends, then he put his brother on the phone and it was like...1980's all over again. What a nice guy! ...and Bill is a pro. He tied everything together before the games, during the games and after the games. He was like the sugar in the tea.

Now I'm looking forward to meeting his son, Jeff. If someone shares the same DNA as Bill and Jim Petty...he's going to be my buddy.

 

On behalf of that 7 year old batboy, let me say the Entire Roakes family had a ball at Woodstock. You did an amazing job for a first time event. Unless you have done it before, people never fully realize how much work goes into something like this.

Grace, Tyler and I had a great time and it was a wonderful experience to sit in the stands and watch Tyler work with his team. I never get to fully enjoy that during the Battle of the Border. The boys on the team were all super to Tyler and he made the comment to us on the way home that Chris McCue andMatt Keeter were 2 of his new friends.

I really feel like Tyler learns as much about the game in a situation like this as he does when he is playing. Thanks to everyone that welcomed us to the event.

Looking forward to year 2.. When people ask if we were at Woodstock, we can say YES!

FYI-- Coaches Hutchins, Robinson and Schaefer, let me know when you need a bat boy! Tyler loves hanging out with kids on all 3 of your teams.

 

Thanks for sharing the great photos Stretchy, and thanks to you and Braves for hosting such a fun event!

 

That's a great point, Tripp. People don't realize how important volunteers and sponsors are to an event like Battle of the Borders and Woodstock. Without them you can't do it.

Which brings me to this point.We had three sponsors and none of them asked for anything in return.

- Terry Shelton's Chick Fil A franchise in Charlotte. Terry and his wife, Lynda, hosted the VIP area from 12:00pm to 1:30am. They virtually fed everybody that came by all day and night. Many times I suggested they should pack it up and go because I knew they had to be exhausted. Terry always replied, "No...after the next game, I want to feed the coaches." I can't begin to tell you how much that meant to me and Stretchy.

- Best Western of Monroe: Simply the nicest people I have ever dealt with in the hotel industry. Anna Dahl went out of her way to help us, the families traveling and the University. I owe a great deal of gratitude for what Anna and Best Western of Monroe did to help us. It was not your typical relationship between host and hotel.

- Sam's Mart: I called Paul Mastrioanni at Sam's Mart and asked if he would help. The first words out of his mouth were, "Of course, what do you need for us to do."

It's people like these folks that decide whether an event will work or not. They didn't want anything other than to help. It's people like Billie Little and her bat boy son, Luke, Steve Proctor, Jeff May, Keith Bray and a host of other friends that gave their time freely.

For those that played and watched their son's...I hope you had a great time. But I can honestly say the one's that make a difference to make an event happen are the sponsors and volunteers. I never realized how important they are, but I do now.

 

Anniversary

Thanks for the great time last year and the special memories. Many thanks to Luis for making the dream a reality!

 

It was a lot of fun. I hope the players and coaches enjoyed it as much as we did!!!!!