A Very Special Bond
This was an opportunity that Maddison Caldwell had been anticipating. The 16U pitcher for the Delaware Cobras took the mound at the Diamond 9 Showcase in Orlando the final weekend of October. But, something just wasn’t right. She struggled. Why now?
This is one of the biggest college showcase events in the country and no matter how she tried, Madison wasn’t herself.
Certified Instructor, Nikki Thomas of Delaware, talked with her by phone and tried to determine the part of the motion that could be causing issues for Maddison. The kid had been doing fantastic in lessons lately and working like never before. But Nikki was over 900 miles away and feeling so helpless. She ran through a checklist with Maddison, but they couldn’t quite put a finger on the problem. Fortunately, the Tincher Pitching approach is a system, so it is generally pretty easy to help kids get things in line of we can watch them. Nikki needed to get “eyes” on her, somehow.
Moments later Nikki was contacted by another student who happened to be at the same tournament. Angelina Serba was pitching for the Glory 18U, and just wanted to let her Instructor know that she was doing quite well. Nikki was excited for Angelina, but mentioned being concerned about another student who was having a tough day. Angelina immediately asked for the kid’s name and wanted to know the location where they were playing. In moments she was in the car, traveling 30-minutes to a different complex. She wanted to see if she might help someone she had never even met, who played on an entirely different team.
Angelina knows there is a special relationship within the Tincher Pitching community and that Maddison would welcome her. Sure enough they got together and things began to click. Angelina was able to confer with Nikki, using video Maddison’s mother had made, and it all came together.
Nikki found the entire experience to be very special, saying “Angelina began telling me everything she was seeing and how she wanted to help her to fix it. They did it. The bond these Tincher girls have amazes me. They act like it’s this sisterhood and It makes me so proud.”
Maddison was initially surprised when a stranger stepped forward offering to help, but knowing she was in the same pitching family gave her confidence. Maddison said, “She gave me some really great advice and I thought it was pretty cool that another pitcher from another team would do that. She’s pretty awesome. ” Most of our Instructors across the country know Angelina, and we totally agree!
Nikki and Angelina are great examples of the kind of organization we always hoped to develop. We are honored to have people like this under our umbrella.