Halloween weekend. The last weekend of a long season highlighted with amazing comebacks at Nationals in South Carolina, fierce battles against the best in the country at the World Series in Long Island, and victories at home in Connecticut.
The 14U CT Edge Select started preparing for the 2015 season in Winter of 2014, determined to push themselves to be better than they were the season before - stronger, smarter, smoother. Seamless on the field, cohesive as a team. So on their journey, the long Winter of training finally gave way to Spring on our new fields. Seemingly, without notice, Spring trickled over into Summer and before our eyes the season was over. The team wrapped it up with an impressive record of 57-8-2, but CT Edge is not about records or wins in the book. It is about growth. It is about player development. It is about challenge. CT Edge is about finding out what the team and the players need, even when it is harder, more uncomfortable, and means not as good of a record. It is about the players and about the team. With this is mind, the coaches gathered the team family together to make a decision to place the boys in 16U Wood Bat for the Fall Season. The decision was approved with the hope that it would ensure that the team would be pushed to face stronger, faster, older athletes who would challenge the players to play smarter, cleaner, and more focused baseball in every game.
There were concerns ... Were the boys ready? Would the pitcher be at risk? Would the catcher be at risk? Would the boys lose confidence? Would they fracture and splinter when the wins weren't racking up and games weren't a 4 inning mercy? Could they adjust to the wood bats? In addition to the baseball concerns, many of the boys started high school this year. The added work load, new social dynamics, changing of schools, and for some, the addition of a second competitive sport in the Fall season would all culminate at the same time as asking this group of kids to play up two age groups. On paper, it looked like a lot to handle for a group of 13 and 14 year old boys. To make it work, and to ensure the well-being of the players, parents and coaches had to commit to working together towards common goals for the Fall: continued progress of each and every player emotionally, socially, and athletically both on and off the field.
Coaches and parents worked together to ensure that scholar athletes were keeping up with school commitments both in the classroom as well as on the football field or cross country course. Meetings were held to discuss the need for sportsmanship, a team dynamic, and personal maturity. Conversations continued regularly stressing the need for a dual effort between parents and coaches to remain focused on the common goal - continued progress.
And so the boys played 16U this Fall. The racked up a few more losses than in the Summer season. The games were closer and required more focus, and not to our surprise, there were stumbles. Players needed to adjust to the reality that their opponents were better competition than they played during the regular Summer season. The fly ball to left center that was a stand up double was now an out. The hard ground ball in the hole that was a single in the Summer was now an out. Those high pop-ups were a whole lot higher and that line drive came off the bat a whole lot faster. The pitchers were stronger, had better control, and more pitches in their repertoire. There were more strikeouts, more ground balls, and yes, more outs. The boys had to learn to control their emotions, count on one another to bring in the man on second, stand up and high five the kid who just hit a sac fly to right field, cheer on the kid who just hustled to run out the throw for a base hit, and support one another in the face of increased setbacks, including defeat. Injuries surfaced, teammates had to skip practices to finish homework or prep for an entrance exam, and players had to fill in at new or unfamiliar positions, requiring veterans to communicate plays and provide leadership in the field. The boys were challenged in every possible way: physically, mentally, and socially. When they faltered, they were asked questions for which they did not yet have answers. What kind of ball player do you want to be? What kind of man do you want to be?
The culmination of this team family decision was Halloween weekend, coming off of a USSSA Championship victory in a 14U tournament. It was time to go back to the tougher world and less predictable world of 16U for the playoffs. Their hard work during the regular season bought them one game on Saturday, which they won without too much struggle. Sunday promised to be a harder day. Single elimination, with a possible three games against strong, well-rounded teams. Tough pitching all day required better pitch selection, well-placed hits, and small ball basics. Faster base-runners challenged our pitchers and catchers to keep leads short, block better behind the plate, and stay on their toes to throw out or pick off runners at every opportunity. And finally, inevitable mental or physical errors in the field required players pick each other up, hustle back into the dugout, and remain committed to one another on every play - regardless of outcome.
On a breezy Sunday, marking the first day of November, the boys met at the field at 8am and left just shy of 11pm that same evening. Yes, the CT Edge Select 14U team left with trophies naming them the 16U league champions for the Fall Season. They played all weekend with a love of the game most often seen in little boys, but with a progressing maturity that brings each one of them a step closer to becoming young men.
The 14U CT Edge Select started preparing for the 2015 season in Winter of 2014, determined to push themselves to be better than they were the season before - stronger, smarter, smoother. Seamless on the field, cohesive as a team. So on their journey, the long Winter of training finally gave way to Spring on our new fields. Seemingly, without notice, Spring trickled over into Summer and before our eyes the season was over. The team wrapped it up with an impressive record of 57-8-2, but CT Edge is not about records or wins in the book. It is about growth. It is about player development. It is about challenge. CT Edge is about finding out what the team and the players need, even when it is harder, more uncomfortable, and means not as good of a record. It is about the players and about the team. With this is mind, the coaches gathered the team family together to make a decision to place the boys in 16U Wood Bat for the Fall Season. The decision was approved with the hope that it would ensure that the team would be pushed to face stronger, faster, older athletes who would challenge the players to play smarter, cleaner, and more focused baseball in every game.
There were concerns ... Were the boys ready? Would the pitcher be at risk? Would the catcher be at risk? Would the boys lose confidence? Would they fracture and splinter when the wins weren't racking up and games weren't a 4 inning mercy? Could they adjust to the wood bats? In addition to the baseball concerns, many of the boys started high school this year. The added work load, new social dynamics, changing of schools, and for some, the addition of a second competitive sport in the Fall season would all culminate at the same time as asking this group of kids to play up two age groups. On paper, it looked like a lot to handle for a group of 13 and 14 year old boys. To make it work, and to ensure the well-being of the players, parents and coaches had to commit to working together towards common goals for the Fall: continued progress of each and every player emotionally, socially, and athletically both on and off the field.
Coaches and parents worked together to ensure that scholar athletes were keeping up with school commitments both in the classroom as well as on the football field or cross country course. Meetings were held to discuss the need for sportsmanship, a team dynamic, and personal maturity. Conversations continued regularly stressing the need for a dual effort between parents and coaches to remain focused on the common goal - continued progress.
And so the boys played 16U this Fall. The racked up a few more losses than in the Summer season. The games were closer and required more focus, and not to our surprise, there were stumbles. Players needed to adjust to the reality that their opponents were better competition than they played during the regular Summer season. The fly ball to left center that was a stand up double was now an out. The hard ground ball in the hole that was a single in the Summer was now an out. Those high pop-ups were a whole lot higher and that line drive came off the bat a whole lot faster. The pitchers were stronger, had better control, and more pitches in their repertoire. There were more strikeouts, more ground balls, and yes, more outs. The boys had to learn to control their emotions, count on one another to bring in the man on second, stand up and high five the kid who just hit a sac fly to right field, cheer on the kid who just hustled to run out the throw for a base hit, and support one another in the face of increased setbacks, including defeat. Injuries surfaced, teammates had to skip practices to finish homework or prep for an entrance exam, and players had to fill in at new or unfamiliar positions, requiring veterans to communicate plays and provide leadership in the field. The boys were challenged in every possible way: physically, mentally, and socially. When they faltered, they were asked questions for which they did not yet have answers. What kind of ball player do you want to be? What kind of man do you want to be?
The culmination of this team family decision was Halloween weekend, coming off of a USSSA Championship victory in a 14U tournament. It was time to go back to the tougher world and less predictable world of 16U for the playoffs. Their hard work during the regular season bought them one game on Saturday, which they won without too much struggle. Sunday promised to be a harder day. Single elimination, with a possible three games against strong, well-rounded teams. Tough pitching all day required better pitch selection, well-placed hits, and small ball basics. Faster base-runners challenged our pitchers and catchers to keep leads short, block better behind the plate, and stay on their toes to throw out or pick off runners at every opportunity. And finally, inevitable mental or physical errors in the field required players pick each other up, hustle back into the dugout, and remain committed to one another on every play - regardless of outcome.
On a breezy Sunday, marking the first day of November, the boys met at the field at 8am and left just shy of 11pm that same evening. Yes, the CT Edge Select 14U team left with trophies naming them the 16U league champions for the Fall Season. They played all weekend with a love of the game most often seen in little boys, but with a progressing maturity that brings each one of them a step closer to becoming young men.
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