29/07/2022
A message from Coach Kim;
( I apologize in advance as it is lengthy)
I hardly know where to begin. It has been a true joy and privilege to coach this team and every player and family that said “YES” to Red Heat. What started out as something I thought I would do for a couple of years turned into the better part of a decade that included traveling to at least 10 states and thousands of miles. Along with seeing every player that wanted to play in college doing so.
There have been highs and lows along the way. Success and failure with more of the first then the second. I have witnessed so much growth in these young ladies not only as softball players but as young women of character which carries much more weight in life. We have always talked about “ starting unknown and finishing unforgettable” to do “ the little things right” and to “ W. I. N” which means 2 things. First is “ what’s important now” which is always the next pitch or next play or in this case the next chapter for all of us. Second is “ Work Is Necessary” and this is true in all aspects of life from relationships to school/work and yes in softball too.
I have so many people to thank. I have already done a separate post for Steve and Judy Reynolds. Steve is “ Red Heat” and we thank him again for allowing us to go on this journey with this team. His facility and teachings have been critical to our success.
I started this team with the McCreas. Erroll stepped in as an assistant coach and Chantel our treasurer. Chantel has remained in that position until this day and I can’t thank her enough all of her assistance over the years. She made this process way easier. Thank you both.
Thank you Melinda for being by my side for the majority of this teams existence. We truly make a great team. You allowed me to be 100 percent authentic and raw at times never passing judgement. We were free to question each other of the whys and why not’s and you stayed unwavering loyal. Words cannot express my gratitude to you. Thanks for making this fun for the girls and in the same breath holding people accountable. Thanks of course for all of the ice cream trips too.
Thank you to Jeff for standing beside me on this journey. You made everything work and took over so many duties to make sure that our families at home could watch and follow their players from afar. Thank you for your tireless hours on the computer to make sure all of the bio sheets were up to date and printed and for taking over making sure everyone had their uniforms up to date. The list is long but you know.
Thank you to Jonathan for stepping in and bringing your years of coaching experience to the table. You helped to make us better amd you got really good at the star burst tossing for all those home runs.
Thank you to all who have stepped in from 10U to 18U as an assistant, parent helper at a station, warming up pitchers, doing books, game changer, running fundraisers , being the “ mental mom” ( note this was something we had at 10 and 12 U in which a parent would take any crying kids out of the dug out until they could recover). There are too many to name but please know I appreciate everything each of you have done.
Coaching is not something you do alone and not something that you know everything about. It is about learning from those that have come before you and even after. I have been blessed with being surrounding by many coaches that were willing to freely share their ideas and practices with me so that I too could be successful. The first outside of Steve was Jason Eastman. Thank you Jason for sharing your try out information with me and for allowing us to model our profile sheets after yours. I will always be grateful to you for your kindness as I started and throughout this journey. Thank you Eric for your support. To Jim Marron and James Lambert for your unwavering support through the Blaze organization and your partnership with Red Heat. There are so many more from local to college coaches that I’ll reach out to personally but thank you all. I encourage you all that are coaches to work together on behalf of these young ladies and this sport. It is life changing for all of us.
To our parents both new and those that have been with us the majority of this time. I could not have done this without you releasing your players to the game and without your trust. I appreciate you all more then you know. As I said in OKC…. I didn’t always get things right but I really did try. Thank you for your support amd your honesty. I appreciate you all more then you know.
Lastly to all of our players past and present. I am so proud of all of you. Softball is a game and it will end for all of you someday. The lessons you have learned from this amazing game will transition into all aspects of your life. Remember you are all amazing young women whose worth is never tied to a stat line or a result of a competition. This game can be very humbling and learning to use failure as a stepping stone to success will take you far in life. You are all worthy and so so special.
It is has been my honor and privilege to coach this team. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for all of you.
“ Don’t be sad or cry because it’s over, smile because it happened”
“ Red Heat W.I.N”
~ Coach Kim
