"Shoot for the Moon..."
When I was named head coach of the newly opening Cedar Creek softball team, I announced to my players and families that we would be a playoff team in three years. The initial season had me rethinking my prediction, but nevertheless, we pushed forward. In our second season, we had three varsity wins. They were all against the same team. (Thank you, Manor). Between the end of the second season and the start of the third season, I reflected on our philosophies and practices, researched other programs and what they did differently to stand out and excel, and began to tweak and polish in preparation for the next season. Heading into the last game of our third season, we were in a situation where a win on our part and if another team in our district lost, we would force a play-in game for the playoffs. Our last game of that season was against the Elgin Wildcats at their place. At that time, Elgin held the record for most playoff appearances since softball became a UIL sport. They were currently undefeated in district and sitting in first place. A true softball powerhouse of Central Texas.
All the elements one would need for a good drama were in place. It was one of those evenings where it wasn’t raining, but it wasn’t dry either. The air was heavy. And, for 13 innings, my kids played their hearts out. Going into the last inning the score was 0-0. We had learned about an hour and a half earlier that Hutto had lost their game, and all we had to do was eek out a run and hold them. In the bottom of the 13th, Elgin had one out and a runner on third. I ran a trick play, which my kids executed perfectly. (I can explain the play later as it is of no consequence unless you are just curious). We snagged the out at first and threw to home plate. It was a bang-bang play, but clearly the ball was there first and my kid made the tag. I have never left a dug out so fast nor jumped so high. Then, I saw the umpire signal safe. I lost my coconut. I ran to the plate to figure out what was going on. He had called obstruction. That is not a call I could argue. It was an extremely bitter pill. Crossing the field to congratulate Coach Wolf on their win and wish them well in the playoffs, I was dreading my post game meeting in left field. But, she stopped me. She had watched my team over the last three years. She had seen our growth. And, she recognized that in our pursuit of our goal we had accomplished so much more as a team. She paid me and my team some meaningful compliments, and they have stuck with me for many years. You may be happy to learn that for the next several years Cedar Creek never missed a playoff, and as we increased our goal after that defeat versus Elgin, we were never a one-and-done team in the playoffs.
This memory has been on my heart because I recognize that many of us have gone through this very difficult experience recently. To work so hard and come so close to a professional goal. It is deflating. But, after the hurt, there is a time of reflection. An opportunity to recognize where we can grow and improve. A time to review our practices and our preparation to see what else needs to be done. A time to ensure that what we are doing is right for our kids and our situation. It is a time to grow professionally. It does not mean that we are not good at what we do. It just reminds us that we always have room to grow.
On a side note, as recognized from my post-game conversation with Coach Wolf, the true beneficiaries of our growth are our students. And, personally, that is why I got in the game.