Thunder Softball Family B.A.S.H. Award for Week 4: Kaydra Cole - Thunder Elite (Withers) - 2018 Catcher This weeks winner was a pretty easy decision unlike most weeks. Kaydra Cole was the total B.A.S.H. package and here is the proof: Body - Kaydra is most likely one of the strongest kids in our Thunder Softball Family. Her weekly workout routine is likely more than most kids do in a month. Because of the extra work she puts in her body has the abilities to produce a strong arm and power at the plate but also speed and agility around the bases. She is the total package behind the plate, at the plate, and on the bases and that is attributed to the extra work she puts into her body. Attitude - This is a major reason why Kaydra gets the B.A.S.H. Award for this week. She did two key things this weekend that deserve major props: 1) During the 2nd inning of a game this weekend Kaydra was behind the plate and let a couple of unnecessary balls get past her and in the same inning missed a tag at home plate. Me, as a coach, was frustrated by the teams lack of focus and play at the time decided to remove Kaydra from the field with 2 outs in the inning. While this is something that I rarely do in the middle of an inning I was trying to send a message to Kaydra, and her teammates, by removing Kaydra from the game and giving her a pretty good earful along the way. Of course, Kaydra is a competitor and was emotional when this happened but what followed from that moment led to a complete turning point for our TEAM. The first thing that took place is Kaydra was instantly mobbed by her teammates telling her to shake it off and keep her head up. The second great thing that happened was when Kaydra came up to bat she got a great hit and eventually scored that same inning. The third thing that happened was Kaydra was brought back into the game on defense and she, nor her teammates, made another defensive error the rest of the game. The moral to this story is that Kaydra basically had to take one for the team and sometimes coaches must do drastic things to create drastic results and Kaydras attitude about the whole situation could not have been any better and she responded like a champion. 2) The second phase of Kaydras attitude this weekend was off the field but still a highlight for a great weekend. In between games Kaydra spent the majority of her time mentoring and being a positive role model to our younger 8 and under players. She was not asked to do this she did it because of the type person that she is. Rather than running around with her teammates of her age Kaydra chose to spend her time helping and being an influence to our younger Thunder Girls and to me that was special to watch. She made a difference this weekend in the lives of a few young athletes and we really appreciate her attitude and efforts to care for and help her softball sisters. Skills - Nobody spends more time, money, or travel developing their skills than Kaydra Cole. While she might have had one bad inning this weekend those are few and far between. This kid spends practically every minute of her life developing her skills. Her family is very supportive in ensuring that Kaydra receives the best training no matter the distance. This family lives in Jonesboro and drives to Benton twice per week for our Thunder practices and on the other nights of the week she takes hitting lessons from some of the best coaches in the state and attends every possible camp and clinic with the best hitting and catching coaches in the country. That is the reason her skills are as good as any catcher in the state and in the country in her age group. Heart - Icing on the cake for this kid. Like I said she is the total package and her heart can never be questioned. She lives, eats, and breathes softball. After most practices Kaydra is covered in dirt and leaves it all on the field in every single drill. Best part is she always does it with a smile on her face and a love for the game. To sum up this weeks B.A.S.H. award the life lesson and message we would like to share is that every player is going to make mistakes and most good coaches are going to correct those mistakes in some shape or form. Regardless if the coach responds in the moment, after the game, or at the next practice, always remember that coaches normally have a reason for doing what they are doing and sometimes you just have to take one for the team. The important thing is to learn from your mistakes and find a way to not only fix them but also find a way to make up for them just as Kaydra did this weekend. Love you kid!!!!
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 06:49:11 +0000