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."
It's called “Gladiator” Ball. I borrowed it from Christy Connoyer, head coach at Saint Louis University, and a great friend in the game. I don't even know if I play it the way she taught it to me, but that is what coaches, teachers, and educators of any subject do – we steal ideas and make them our own. So, back to “Gladiator” Ball… the playing field is about 10 yards by 15 yards and the ball used is what softball people call a lite flight ball. It is a yellow foam ball the size of a regular softball. There is a half court line the teams cannot cross, there is a six foot wide goal that is only as tall as one can reach, and there are no mitts involved. The two teams compete by whipping that ball at each other trying to score. Losers stay and winners get the break. It is CRAZY COMPETITIVE!
The girls throw their bodies in front of balls thrown at point blank range, and Jessica and I laugh as we hear a loud thud upon impact, followed by a squeal of delight as their teammates cheer their sacrifice. They dive, jump, kick, and whip that ball with an unbelievable, competitive spirit. I love this game. I love to watch my team play this game. In fact, we just played it last week in practice, and Jessica and I learned a lot in those 20 minutes. We learned that our kids have FIRE. A kind of raw, competitive emotion that as a coach, if you can just channel it in the right direction, it will help your team have success.
We also learned that we may focus a little too much on things we cannot control (like whether or not the goal counted – you know, similar to whether or not an umpire got the call right) instead of controlling our thought process and handling our emotions in a productive way.
In previous blogs I have shared with you my desire to change our program's culture, my commitment to connect with our fans, our community, and our alumni, and my belief in the system we have put into place for our team. We are now four weeks into pre-season practices. To softball coaches, this time of year can be a love/hate type of relationship. On the one hand, you are 1-2 weeks closer to your first game and on the other hand, you are 1-2 weeks closer to your first game. When you take over a program, the questions can be endless, but the anticipation is even more un-nerving. Are we mentally ready to be a focused unit? Have they completely bought into the system? Will they trust their training and just play? And what's more, for us cold weather states, you are never truly quite sure what you are going to get until you step on that field together in February.
Our preparation thus far has been solid. We came back “fit”, and passed our conditioning tests. Most of the team is fearful of the morning running club so the pressure to pass was quite high. Believe me, NO ONE (including Jessica and I) wants anything to do with the morning running club. We began by getting into “practice shape” which included hitters swinging the bat a ton, pitchers throwing all their pitches, ground balls, fly balls, lifting, conditioning and we do it all in a flurry of team bonding and activity. There is an excitement among the girls as we inch closer to opening day, and most even look forward to the grueling physical and mental intensity of our practices. That is what they have come to expect from Jessica and I, and I know they enjoy the challenges we put in front of them.
The big event in this pre-season was the compilation of our competitive events that started in October. We split the team into two teams and they competed in a variety of different events. Those events were strength and conditioning competitions, softball skill tests, written tests, just-for-fun game show competitions, and scrimmages. At the end of the first semester, the two teams ended in a virtual tie. We had one last event and it was dead even after 1 v 1 softball skill competitions. It came down to our last event which was a scrimmage. One team was winning going into the top of the 7th 1-0 and ended up losing 3-1. It was a stellar game!
From a coach's standpoint, it has been very interesting to watch the dynamic of each team and each athlete. Jessica and I have found out who our most intense competitors are and even more importantly – who ALWAYS comes to compete. An athlete who competes all the time, no matter what the circumstance or how they are feeling that day, is a rare find. We also found out that we do not have the ability to “trash talk” although they did make some futile attempts at it. I suppose, in the light of sportsmanship, that is a good thing.
My own preparations for pre-season started a long time ago. Thoughts and ideas spring into my head and I jot them down on whatever is handy. I throw all of those scraps of paper in a box and spend hours going through it - over and over again - tossing out ideas, expanding on others. It is my way of not losing any thought related to the success of the program, no matter how ridiculous or fleeting the idea may be. The ideas from the box eventually translate into a plan of attack. Parts of this plan have already been put into motion, others I hold onto until the right moment. It is always good to have something fresh for pre-season. It lets your team know you have put time in preparing for their success. That in turn creates trust, loyalty, and excitement.
There are two types of coaches, in my opinion - stat driven and gut driven. Stat or statistics driven coaches like to prove their theories with data. They run their program based on percentages and trends. Gut driven coaches rely on their instinct and feelings even if the data goes in a different direction. Now this is not to say that most coaches don't use a little of both styles, but I do believe they weigh heavily on one side or the other. I am a stat driven coach. I will take every piece of information you can give me on a team, athlete, or coach and I will devise a success plan from that information. I am a firm believer in the phrase “Knowledge is Power.”
I govern my team this way as well. When it comes time to pick the starters, I will mainly do it from their stats and past performances. In pre-season, I chart everything. When the time comes to put the “starting 9” on the field, I will have stats on every player on my team.
As many of you bosses out there realize, managing people is tricky business. As many of you parents out there realize, managing kids is even trickier. Jessica and I have 16 to manage… 16 hilarious, genuinely good-hearted kids, who want to remember this year as the year Idaho State softball began its trek back toward success. It is my job to lead the hike – pretty fitting given where we live…don't you think?
- Julie
Past Blogs
Blog 1- Dec. 27, 2010
Blog 2- Jan. 3, 2011
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
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
