Since January, I have had fourteen daughters and a couple of brothers. Seems outrageous, but being a coach on a softball team, there is a sense of family. For months I got to witness, coach, laugh and get frustrated by a whole baker’s dozen of teenage girls. Granted, one is my own and I feel the experience has pulled us closer together. The other thirteen have shown and shared parts of their eclectic personalities, but after a rather quick seven months, it is over.
I’ve seen them all come together as a team in unlikely circumstances and crumble in moments when they should have overcome. They all share different levels of friendship but are always there for each other to pick themselves up when needed. Team sports do that, they bring out the best of us as long as we remember it is a team and no one is above or beyond having a bad moment, a bad play, a bad inning or a rough game. We bring ourselves to the field and for a brief hour can let go of whatever troubles or stresses we have waiting for us when the game is over.
The brothers I mentioned are the other coaches I was lucky enough to stand with. Both have shown me different sides of what it means to be a coach, bringing their own unique talents of focus and motivation with them. They are older than I am, so as the younger, I get to see more of how they work instead of working alongside. In return, I get to spend more time learning about the players and how they operate. I’d say it’s an even trade.
Some of the players couldn’t finish out the season and sadly won’t get to have them in the tight-knit family again. They will all go on to do great things and pursue their passions in life even if not with the team. In all it has been a great season and I am thankful for the coaches, the players and the families who allowed me to experience what having thirteen other wonderful daughters could be like.
Until 2016… Adrenaline forever!
Jonas Lee 