In April, I asked parents of these teams if they wanted join me in a donation system to give some deeper meaning to the girls’ season after my mom, Patty Thorne, had passed away from breast cancer on January 6th of this year. We have all had people we know affected by cancer and several families joined in from each team. For the 8U team I set up $1 for every run scored, $5 for every homerun and $5 for every win. For the 10U team, same thing but also adding $1 for every strikeout recorded by one of our pitchers. The girls did us proud and played hard all season long. With us we have 2 pitchers that recorded over 200 strikeouts just themselves and a handful of players who hit a number of homeruns, not to mention all the runs scored and wins recorded. The 8U team finished with a record of 20-3 and the 10U team recorded 18 wins against just 9 loses. Both teams won multiple tournaments with many top 3 finishes. Outstanding seasons by both teams, we are very proud of them and their efforts made this possible.
When we lose someone we love, whether it is to cancer or any other reason, the reality is that the world around us goes on and barely skips a beat. But to those closest to that loss, we know that is not the case. There are many random moments when we are left feeling, man, I wish they were here to share this moment with us. Or we tell our kids things like, Grandma or Grandpa would have been so proud of you. We are faithful people so we know that the person missing is in their true home with the Lord, but let’s be honest, we would sacrifice a lot for even one more moment to hug our loved one.
In a busy world that stops for no one, our loved ones remain alive with us in our hearts as we remember them and thinking about all the things that we shared with them. We as coaches always like to think that the games we teach are metaphors for life. Some parents may think we are a little crazy, but I do believe that the lessons we learn in sports, especially as our kids are growing into teenagers and then young adults, are lessons that they can carry with them all of their life. Working hard for something you love, being a great teammate, carrying a positive attitude, and learning how to gracefully win and lose are all things we teach among many other things. These are all lessons those that passed on before us would want us to know and remember as we navigate this life without them.
Personally, I teach my players that “There is always another play.” This means, for example, that after the out is recorded at first base, the players on the field need to be ready to perhaps throw the baserunner out at third or watch for a play at home. In other words, we can’t be content with just that one out. From when open gyms started in December to just a couple weeks ago, that was our play to first. We got that out. Now, today, this is the other play. This is the part of a being a teammate that carries off the field and into the community. We have the ability to impact those around us, often times its people we won’t ever know or the smallest gesture like a friendly hello that can change a person’s entire day or more. Your actions and attitude matter more than you’ll ever know, so just keep that in mind on and off the field. A positive attitude and a giving heart have the ability to literally change the world.
With that the girls of Denmark Softball, would like to present these funds, in the total amount of $3,237, to the cancer center to help those currently battling this terrible disease. We hope that they know that even though we don’t know them individually, that there are people out there thinking and caring about, and praying for their successful recovery.