Individual Awards

Most of the kids I've known that received awards deserved them. The biggest problem with awards is that there aren't enough to go around.

It sounds like sometimes the awards mean more to those who didn't receive them than they do to the ones who did.

I would really be miserable if I had a player on a team like some have described. I would be miserable trying to coach a team like that. Parents openly hoping another kid fails? Those parents would not have a kid on the teams I know.

 

In regard to college coaches and what they sift through to put together THEIR teams.........college coaches are the few who have the opportunity to pick their family........... and it does become family.
As for parents ,college coaches are smart enough to know the apple don't fall far from the tree.

 

I agree about the girl who got the coaches award , out of all the awards given she was the one I wanted to stand up and clap for. I just wish that parents and players could just be happy for other players achievements and quit the jealousy.

 

Life really is unfair. Every "Most Popular Student" vote that was held while I was in school I never got more than one vote.

 

TEAM = Together Everyone Achieves More

Everyone needs to remember that softball is a TEAM sport and it takes a team effort to win or lose. A pitcher can’t win games if the team doesn’t play defense and they don’t score runs. A player can’t lead the team in runs scored if their teammates don’t hit the ball behind them. A player can’t lead the team in RBIs without their teammates getting on base. A dangerous hitter is most likely not going to see anything to hit unless the hitter behind them is dangerous, too. Teams with players that truly understand this, value the abilities of their teammates, and put the team first by accepting their role (like the senior that was mentioned) will most likely be very successful.

There are players that work their butt off year round to get better when no one else is around or watching. Those are the players I want on my team. When it’s game time, that hard work is likely to show through and they will earn whatever recognition may come their way. Even if they do not receive recognition, they are still happy because they know they gave it their best, loved what they were doing, and became the best player they could be for their team.

That being said, it is a travesty when awards/recognition/all-stars, etc. are selected based on political reasons and only serves to take away from the awards and recognition given to players that are deserving and who have actually earned them. Perhaps that is one of the many reasons that college coaches don’t put much stock in them. Whether you got an award or didn’t, go work your butt off to get better, enjoy the journey, be a good teammate, and have fun playing the game.

 

Exactly! John Wooden would agree wholeheartedly!

 

This is the talk I gave at the end of our Awards Banquet. It may not be very good grammatically but, I hope it gave my players and parents something to think about


Athletics, whether High School or College or wherever, is about nothing more than making memories. Anyone in this room who has participated in athletics can attest to that. I have many memories of my playing days, my first High School touchdown, getting the game winning hit in my first fast pitch game ( I was hooked from that moment forward), walking out onto the field in my first College baseball game (it was snowing), playing in a Class A Fastpitch National Championship Tournament, I could go on and on. I dropped some passes, missed some balls, and struck out a lot but, since I’m getting a little older, I don’t remember those so well. But the bottom line is, what we do on an athletic field will mean very little to anyone but us. We will all have different memories, some good, some not as good. Guess what? The not so good ones fade with time.
Athletically speaking, your High School days are numbered. Some may have the opportunity to play at the next level; those too will end sooner than you want. You may be involved in Athletics for many years, but again at some point you will stop. All you will have to show for your efforts are the memories you made. The friends and teammates you met along the way.
You will have many opportunities to make a difference to someone. It may be some little boy or girl who decides to get involved with athletics because of something you did or said. It may be a teammate, or even a member of the other team, who had a better day because of something you said or did. It is an awesome responsibility. Remember, just as easily, instead of being a positive role model, you can drive someone away by your actions or attitude. Hold the rope by praising a different teammate everyday, hold the rope by appreciating all the people around you who cheer for you when you are successful and cheer you up when you aren’t, hold the rope by giving your best effort, everyday, even when you don’t feel good. There is competition on an athletic field. How you act or react to that competition begins to define you as, not just an athlete but, a person.
High School is one of the first times you will spread your wings and attempt to fly on your own. If you think it is scary for you, think about your parents. Too many times we, as parents, attempt to plow the road for you. We don’t want you to make mistakes (especially not the ones we made). There are so many things that we parents worry about. You’ll get your driver’s license, start dating, go to parties, and of course, start making your own memories on, and off, the field. Be good, be kind, forgive easily and let the person you are define the memories you will have.
Sometimes we focus so hard on wins and losses that we forget to enjoy the journey itself. Winning is important, if it wasn’t, they wouldn’t keep score but, more important than winning are your teammates. What will their memories of you be? When you held the rope, did you pull or did you just hang on and let everyone else pull?

 

AWESOME!

 

Nice

Wow! If you don't feel something from that you are dead. I'll think this over for a while. Can I play for you?? LOL