On June 16th we had a retirement party for Coaches Tom Moorman and Kevin Joyce. I had written down some things I wanted to say about the amazing gift that I was given... but then it seemed like too much. Here's what I wanted to say, and then some pictures from the day:
Twenty years of players, fans, and family have gathered to
celebrate two extraordinary men, Coach Tom Moorman and Coach Kevin Joyce, and to thank them for all they have given
us. Given the lengthy span of their work,
we who have played for them may not all know each other, but we are united by a common experience and a
collective consciousness, that is shared beliefs and attitudes, because we have
been part of something special. We have
had the privilege of being taught and mentored by Coach Tom Moorman and Coach Kevin
Joyce.
In August of 1992,
for me, Coach Tom Moorman and Spike Russell did something unbelievable. They took this chubby, awkward, uncoordinated,
unathletic, goofy freshman, and invested
in me . The day they decided to make me
their project was lifechanging. I was 15
years old, and I’d never pitched in my life.
Never even swung my arm in circle just pretending. In a few short months this girl who had once
wondered if she’d even make the team was actually able to throw the ball across
the plate often enough to win a few varsity ball games. Over the next four years, I improved, and I learned
so much softball skill and strategy, we all did. Oh the strategy was the best;
it was absolutely academic under Tom Moorman- the discussions, being quizzed, scouting
then rehashing batters, I lived for it. But of course, we also learned more
than just skill and strategy. We were a
part of something, something many of us had never experienced before. A system of excellence. A new culture. A tradition.
A new collective belief system.
We believed that dedication brings results that you can be proud of, and
often it brings success and winning. We believed
in having high expectations for ourselves and expecting to win. We learned to be confident and assertive; we
were given a reason to be confident. We
learned to thrive under pressure. We
learned how many could work together as one machine. We learned self-control. We learned who we were, and we learned what
we were made of. We were shown fierce
loyalty, and we emulated it for each other.
We were shown love, generosity beyond compare, compassion, support, and
forgiveness, I certainly was shown forgiveness.
Under Coach Moorman and Coach Joyce we developed these values,
attitudes, and beliefs and assimilated them into our beings. We all have been changed.
Scecina was changed too.
Many Crusaders continued their softball careers at the collegiate level,
many on scholarship. In fact I played with and against at least 6 of my high school
teammates. Six teammates. That’s incredible!
Especially considering the climate was different than it is today. Then it was incredible for one Lady Crusader
in any sport to become a college athlete.
Moorman and Joyce started the momentum back in the late 90’s. Soon, all of our beliefs systems shifted from
believing that being a college athlete was a pipe dream to believing that
competing at the college level was achievable for nearly any Crusader who
wanted it, and importantly, college coaches knew it too.
What a gift these coaches have given us in teaching us the master
level skills of softball, a sport we can play with confidence for a lifetime. If I have a bad a day at work, I can put my
quarters in a batting cage and take it out on a ball. If I need a confidence boost, I can walk onto
any slow-pitch diamond in the city, take a bat in my hands still lining up my
fingers just the way Tom Moorman told me to, just to be a little cocky I lay
the bat on my shoulder and stand up straight just like he does, I lay it there
til the last second, and if I get 4 at
bats, until this day, I’m still going to
hit one or two down the left field line.
And, I’m going to walk away feeling pretty good about myself. Twenty years later, I'm still receiving that gift of
skill and confidence.
The Scecina Softball experience permeates our adult lives in
other ways too. Many of us play
softball with our spouses. Of course,
the biggest most meaningful way our experience with these two men impacts our
adult lives is in passing on the gift to our children. Many of you have
multiplied the gifts from Coaches Moorman and Joyce by teaching and coaching
our own children and others. My kids
aren’t old enough yet, but I’ve done a fair amount of private instruction, and
while you’re in the middle of your lesson or coaching, don’t you hear yourself
using the words and phrases of Coach Moorman and Coach Joyce? It makes
me laugh, mostly because sometimes those phrases are hilariously inappropriate, but I also feel really lucky.
Our common experience
was a challenge to describe and the sum total of what we’ve received is
impossible to quantify. However, a
portion of it actually is quantifiable. I
would love to know the total college scholarship money Scecina Softball players
have received over the past twenty years. It must be well over one million. I
started asking my teammates, but not everyone wants to talk about money. I give you my number not to boast but to
fully illustrate the magnitude of the impact these men have had on our lives. Besides,
there are many Lady Crusaders who certainly have bigger numbers than me. First, Tom Moorman, Spike Russell, and Kevin
Joyce and the other Scecina coaches taught me to pitch, and then, second, they
advocated for me. (That’s where so many
high school players miss out.) My coaches made my scholarship happen. They made it happen by figuring our stats,
reporting them, and then they actively sought out opportunities for us. Through my college scholarship and teaching
pitching lessons, my personal gift from my Scecina coaches is well over
$100,000. What an amazing, incredible
gift from Scecina Softball to me, my parents, and my spouse.
Coach Tom Moorman and Coach Kevin Joyce, we honor you
and thank you. And, we remember Coach
John Edson. Thank you, Coaches, for giving my teammates, me, and our
families the life-changing experience that is Scecina Softball. It is
very appropriate that the celebration was held on Father’s Day
weekend. You both have been like fathers
to all of us. You built this family for
us, uniting us under one system of excellence.
You cared for us and invested in our futures. Your radical generosity is like that which a
father would have for his children. We
also honor and thank your wives, your children, and your grandchildren for
sharing you with us and for making us part of your family. We are forever in debt to you, and we love you.
Check out that hardware!
