Thank You Coach

What would you say to the coach who impacted you most? Recently one of our Certified Instructors, Alex Maclean, thought that would be a great question for our group. So, we asked them, and their answers might surprise you.

Julia Emery-Thanks for telling me I couldn’t so I could PROVE that I could!!!
Heather McAdam Pomilio-To never be satisfied, to have compassion for those who may not have the talent and to be honest with them. And, of course, to understand there can be laughter at any given time.
Jesse Hutchins-Softball is a metaphor for life. You will have tough moments: an error, a mental mistake, swing at a bad pitch, etc. It’s how you respond that defines who you are and what your character is. Also, you won’t always love the people you have to collaborate with (teammates, co-workers, etc.), but finding a way to work with them is essential to your success and the achievement of the goal. And, one of the most important for me: how to advocate for yourself.
Elizabeth R. Price-For me it was the idea that softball is affected by a million different intangible details, but the game itself never changes. The game doesn’t remember what you did yesterday so we should want to show up and prove ourselves every day, every moment! (And not just for ourselves, but for our TEAM.)
Kama Tucker-You won’t make a difference if you just do what everyone else does. Take the road less traveled.
Thomas Tiger Tom Judkins-Coach, thank you for being tuff on me and expecting more.
Suzy Willemssen-You valued me more as person than a player. Thank you Coach.
Alexandra MacLean-Thank you for never giving up on me, even when I was ready to give up myself.
Amy Stetler Harper-Coach, thank you for teaching me about life on and off the field and for believing in me as a person, not just an athlete.
Jennifer Mineau-Thanks for giving me a chance to prove I could do it. And thanks for showing me it’s not enough to win–you have to dominate
Adrienne Chery-What you meant to hurt me, actually set my soul on fire to prove not only to you, but to myself, that I could.
Maureen Matson Kleczkowski-My high school softball coach was amazing. Mr. ‘Shif’. Short for Shiffner. God rest his soul. He taught me that if you’re not having fun in what you’re doing, then find something else to do. Life is too short. Learn to laugh at yourself and enjoy the moment.
Jamie Reno-Coach, thank you for believing in me when I didn’t believe in myself. That kept me going!!
Laurie Gibble Mumma-Thanks for taking me under your wing, investing your time & believing in me so much that you built a team around my pitching that won several state championships.
Dominique Anne-Hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard.
Heather McAdam Pomilio-Thank you for making an impact in my life as well as hundreds of others. Softball is a family and the memories are forever etched into my mind
Carrie Markham-Thank you for instilling the love of the game in me and learning that the results from all the hard work are what make the game fun.
Oran Sears-Every action you take, on the field and off, is nothing more than a whole bunch of details strung together. Each detail is important. Make sure you pay attention to them all.
Krista Trimble-I didn’t just learn how to play this amazing game from you, I learned SO much about LIFE and how to treat people, and THAT is what’s invaluable
Whitney Stewart Foster-Thanks for giving up so much of your time to help me be successful at something I love. Because of your invested time, I have learned so many life lessons that took me years to realize I had learned. But above all, thanks for being my dad first and coach second. As a coach you instilled a competitive spirit in me, as a dad you loved me through the wins and the losses as if the outcome didn’t matter.
Chris Cauthorne-Coach, I just wanted to thank you for teaching me how to be a person that could make an impact. How winning is big but losing teaches you life lessons and makes you stronger. How being humble is more important than the amount of trophies. The biggest thing you taught me is how to give back and teach what I know so that I can develop someone else to be better than me.