Our Champions

Months ago, when my husband and I were planning a vacation, I thought carefully about the dates we chose.  "That's usually about when the varsity season draws to a close," I said, and so we felt we booked our time away with perfect calculation.
Although I harbor the utmost faith, respect, and admiration when it comes to my girls, never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that I would still have four athletes vying for Long Island titles while we were away.  Liz Weber, Kerri Apicella, and Michiko McGiveny all contributed substantially to their teams coveted Long Island championships (in their respective classes).  Catherine Havens pitched unbelievably all season, but even her brave and wonderful efforts were unable to clinch the Long Island Championship for ESM in their Class.  Regardless, Catherine is formidable in every way and is still only a junior!
I don't think that I need to mention the fact that Liz's stellar pitching lead Bay Shore to the State Championship.  I can't express how proud or how thrilled I was to learn this.  I wanted nothing more than to have Liz be able to grasp that crowning achievement her senior year.  I have been honored to work with Liz for the past eight years.  Her work ethic and her drive are only a small piece of her skill.  Like any pitcher, she has certainly had her mechanical ups and downs.  We all struggle in that respect, but it is what we inevitably come out of that struggle with that distinguishes us from our competition.  She has made it so that even her most difficult struggles eventually become her victories.  Not only has she grown profoundly as a pitcher and an athlete since she first started pitching at age ten, she has developed an amazing poise and grace that makes her both intimidating and difficult to read.    This is a very understated quality in many pitchers, but one that I think it is hard to succeed without.  Is it possible to teach that aggressive, killer instinct while still maintaining a composure that is devastating to opponents?
I think that there are certainly ways to develop this "killer instinct" more, but to me, it seems that all the aforementioned amazing athletes have a sort of "fire," in their hearts (even at a very young age).  It is something that is very difficult to describe, but it is palatable when you stand near them.  When we make mechanical adjustments, they are not angry or discouraged, they see it as an opportunity to improve.  They are always willing to admit their mistakes, and use these admissions as a platform for improvements.  When they talk about softball, and pitching, it is like a light switch goes off.  When they discuss their opposition, they are smart, evaluative, and respectful, but always looking to get the edge.  They will work outside of their comfort zone in order to best accommodate the umpire that particular day, or exploit the weakness of the opposition.  They are skilled at learning and never miss an opportunity to improve themselves.  These are all girls who have traveled far and wide to play on the best teams, work with the best coaches, and perfect their craft in general.   I am really blessed to work with these wonderful girls, and I know that their successes will continue throughout their high school and college careers.  They are fighters, they are winners, and they have worked so hard for everything they have achieved.

The characteristics of champions

With the incredible recent successes of Catherine Havens, Liz Weber and Kerri Apicella, I have been hearing many girls proclaim how they aspire to be like these wonderful athletes.  That is all well and good, but these amazing individuals did not just develop over night.  Here are some characteristics they share:

Resiliency:  Catherine, Kerri, and Liz all lost the first game of the series, but fought hard and smart to dominate their opponents in subsequent games.  These girls never back down under difficult circumstances.  They all use their failures as opportunities to better themselves. 
Work Ethic: All of these girls have sacrificed time, money, energy, social outings with friends, and many other things to really perfect their craft as pitchers.
Consistency:  Not everyone is consistent in every game, but these girls are always on time or early for lessons, come year round, work incredibly hard throughout lessons and never complain.  This is a kind of consistency that instructors dream of. 

Want to know more about these wonderful champions?  Check in tomorrow.