07/16/2024
I had been trying to sum up this season and one of our amazing coaches, Dean Huppert, sent this message to the team last night so with his permission, I’m going to share it!
Dean said: There’s so much to be thankful for this year. Going from trying to learn names and figuring out which kids belonged to the parents watching… Then seeing flashes that we could put together a full game. Driving through snow and ice to get to practices, to working on our own because you knew the other kids were depending on you. I had to choke back tears Saturday night when that ball went into Jaylin’s glove. I don’t think the boys knew the magnitude of what they had just done. From 4 wins in a season to The Final 4 in the World Series!!!! I can’t imagine a better comeback story in the state of Indiana this year. Instead of quitting or getting so discouraged that they lost the fun…They left the debacle in Edwardsburg and by a fluke competed their butts of against a 12U team at Concord. We talked about getting momentum and keeping it this year. Once we found “Big Mo” that snowball was going down US 31 in the 90 degree heat and it didn’t matter if it was Grand Park or Kokomo.
So many lessons to take away from this season. Hard work pays off. It’s amazing what can be accomplished when no one cares who gets the credit. And give a young boy a ball and a dream, and a whole new world of friendships and imagination can make dreams come true. We have all heard the horror stories of travel ball. We might have to cut back in other areas of life to lessen the impact of this season that took us through Chicago and all over the state. But these kids won’t ever be 9, 10 or 11 again. It goes fast. In a blink of an eye, they’re going to be those big kids and driving to their practices. Thank you all for letting us coaches have a chance to teach the game we love. And to quote Dr. Seuss, “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened!”
Thank you, Dean, for sharing your perspective on this season and the amazing video! That is your permanent job now! 😂
What a fantastic season Canes!!! 🖤⚾️💛
