From On High Somewhere In The Distance There's A Voice That Calls....Remember Who You Are

When thinking about our continued defeats on the softball field, it might be easy to fall into the depths of despair. However, drawing from the Lion King, I decided to reflect on the wisdom gained from sophic coaches in my past in order to get some perspective and motivation.

Paul Miller- Pee Wee and Little League Baseball Coach. Paul had a talent for discipline. I most remember him forcibly yelling. I particularly remember his comment to the outfield, “Like a Wall Out there!” My sister, Kelly, and I ,at the time, were anything but a wall out there. The only girls on our team, we were nicknamed Pinky and Bluey for our matching outfits. On the Pee-Wee team, Kelly and I enjoyed picking dandelions and twirling around. Our team practiced for hours rain or shine and was made to run for losses. However, with the help of Paul’s strict discipline, by Little League, even Kelly and I had progressed extensively and our team was victorious in the championships. What I learned from Paul Miller about discipline…

Mr. Brenneman- Jr. High Basketball Coach. Mr. Brenneman helped me to perfect the drawing a foul move. I learned to dramatically fall to the ground upon the slightest bump. On occasion, Mr. Brenneman was known to beam the basketball at an unsuspecting girl’s head. He also got in your face with the most incredible halitosis you can imagine. What I learned from Mr. Brenneman about using breath mints…

Mr. Mickey-High School Distance Track Coach. Lisa Hinkle and I deemed him our hero and strived to find out everything about him. He might aptly be called the pope of P.E. and had fantastic calf muscles. Mr. Mickey’s words of wisdom included, “The stop-watch never lies.” and “Every day is an easy day!” Mr. Mickey once ran a marathon with a chunk of glass in his foot. What I learned from Mr. Mickey about perseverance…. (and nice calf muscles).

Mr. Brown-High School Cross Country Coach. Mr. Brown’s quote to us was repeated frequently, “I am someone special, a unique individual, created by God and filled with potential. Mr. Brown was patient with us even when we ate ice cream before meets. What I learned from Mr. Brown about believing in myself…

Big Bob Orndoff-High School Summer Girls Softball Coach. This team was so frustrating that Kelly and I quit in the middle of a game. Bob Orndoff came to our house to talk to us. Kelly was in the bathroom taking a shower and crawled out the bathroom window to escape. They waited and waited and finally mom looked in the bathroom to find she was not there. Somehow, they finally did persuade us to come back to the team. What I learned from Bob Orndoff about second chances…

Bad A** Buddy Rowan-High School Summer Girls Softball Coach. Buddy earned his nickname from his daughters after shoveling snow in a storm for hours dressed in a wife beater. Buddy bought us what we deemed the “Tommy Guaranteed Bat”, pledged by Tommy’s Sporting Goods to hit an extra 50 feet. When it rained at the Regional Track meet, Buddy was quick to go down and sweep the water off the track so the hurdlers didn’t have to run in all the water. What I learned from Buddy about giving to others…

After this trip down memory lane, I would recommend to myself and my team in our future softball endeavors: discipline, perseverance, embracing second chances, believing in ourselves, giving to others, using breath mints, and scoping the field for guys with nice calf muscles. The wisdom from these greats is more than enough to get me through many a loss.