2011 Schedule
On the first Monday of each month, softball coach Julie Wright will provide insight into her program in a blog called, "Wright or Wrong: Inside the Mind of a Coach."
I found myself with a touch of the holiday “flu.” You know how it goes, you are able to take a little relaxation time and you remember you really enjoy sitting on the couch, watching movie after movie while eating EVERYTHING that isn't good for you, and laughing at childhood memories with friends and family. Well, you enjoy it until about the fourth day when you have to roll yourself off the couch and into the kitchen to get the food that actually put you in this coma in the first place. Enough is enough, back to the real world.
Fortunately for me, I actually like my real world. I get paid to play in dirt; not to mention that my dirt is new dirt, literally. We will play in a new stadium this season, get dressed in a new locker room, and do it with a new Idaho State softball look.
Last month I launched the first edition of this blog and stressed the importance of changing the culture. Remember, a change in culture is similar to a complete makeover. Everyone who touches the program matters. Every policy, rule, and guideline must be put into place with great care and thorough thought. Once you set the culture plan in motion, it is time to work on the individual players buying into your system.
A coach's system is very personal to him or her. It will reflect their personality and beliefs. Considering I was raised in a matriarchal family (with my 89 year old Italian grandmother still at the helm), my system is to put a team on the field comprised of aggressive, strong, and confident women who are athletic and intelligent about the game of softball. I believe in the concept “practices are for coaches and games are for players.” The less you hear me during a game, the better. It means my staff and I have done our jobs in preparing our players for battle, if you will.
When you take over a team, the individual players will fall into a few different categories. Those who are born to play in your system; those who want to play in your system, but don't necessarily know how to do it; those who hate change and will have to be convinced your system will work for them; and those who won't ever buy-in. Of my current team, the player that fits exactly with how I coach and think about the game is Jessica Baca. Jessica is a senior captain on this year's squad and came to Idaho State from a junior college in Arizona. She is the kid of a coach – those types of players typically set themselves apart with their toughness and knowledge of the game. She understood what I wanted from day one, and we have been on the same page ever since. Having that type of kid on your team can really help a coach “sell” his/her system to the team.
Coaching kids is a lot about timing. The wrong timing can really hurt a team and its progress. The key is to challenge their learning process, but not overwhelm them. So, we spent the entire fall semester working on a culture change, getting to know each other, getting fit, and learning the game. The team has heard me talk about my system, but they haven't really truly experienced it yet. They've learned my philosophies, but they don't live them. They know what I want, but are inconsistent with their effort of giving it. And they want to believe that they are seeing me for who I am, but they still seem to be waiting for the other “shoe to drop”. This sort of uneasiness will fade as they realize and trust that Assistant Coach Jessica and I are going to be there for them as consistent, positive coaches. It is a process, and as most of us already know, you cannot cheat a process.
So here I am, now, completely over the holiday “flu” and getting ready for the rigors of pre-season and season to begin. My system will be hammered into their minds every moment they are with us until they are living it… aggressive and confident women, who strive to be impressive people and student-athletes, on and off the field.
And as I take my last breath before this amazing craziness begins, I smile because I know exactly what my Italian grandmother would tell me. She would simply say, “Andiamo!” (Let's go!).
Past Blogs
Dec. 21, 2010
2011 Idaho State Softball Roster
1 Jennifer Martensen IF
2 Ashley Moeller IF
4 Brittany Olsin OF/C
5 Jessica Baca IF
6 Erin Olander IF/OF
9 Katee Wiley IF
10 Amanda Fitzsimmons P/IF
11 Haylee Thompson-Brock OF
12 Katie Rooks OF
13 Brook Ferro C/UT
15 Christina Rayner P
17 Courtney Darby IF/P
18 Terah Blackwell C
19 Kandis Clesson P
22 Courtney Hancock IF/UT
23 Courtney Dial OF
32 Desirae Hoffman OF
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