The Similkameen News Leader
Sports Page - June 12, 2007
BALL CLINIC HITS A HOME RUN
If you play baseball, and you were not at Memorial Park June 2nd and 3rd for the Chris Strain Pitch-Rite Baseball Academy Clinic, you missed a golden opportunity.
Coaches Chris Strain, Matt Walker, Dan Woelders and Pat Phelan put 28 players and six coaches through their paces with intense instruction and lots of laughs.
Throwing, catching, hitting, running...it was all happening, and it was a thrill to watch the players improve so dramatically in such a small window of time.
If there was one mantra that was repeated throughout the weekend, it was 'hard work pays off.' The players were encouraged to spend more of their free time practicing their skills, and that included perhaps starting their own baseball book, where they can accumulate all the best information they receive from their coaches, and from their own research.
"Know the game. Know your positions. Know the technique. Practice shouldn't be limited to the time spent with the coaches," says Dan Woelders.
If you missed the clinic, there is good news for you. They want to come back! And this time they're planning a camp in August 2007 and Spring Break 2008, and with community support these camps could be five days each!
Pat Phelan, aka Coach Grumpy, is in the process of getting his Coaching Certificate in softball, (he is already qualified in baseball), and has said that he will come back to Princeton to certify our coaches for 2008. This is a fantastic offer, that we accepted eagerly, as it will be mandatory to have all coaches certified next year.
I think that I would be remiss if I did not point out, that this clinic was a fantastic opportunity for ball players and coaches of all ages, and that Chris Strain was extremely generous in regard to the registration fees. For $25.00 the players experienced four hours of group instruction, and the coaching clinic was free. Private instruction was also offered for a fee.
Not only did the players learn about softball technique; ("The basics of throwing and hitting are essential tools to be built upon, never stop learning," says Pat Phelan); they were taught lifeskills; ("The only thing you can control is how well you prepare for the game," pointed out Matt Walker); and they got a chance to see excellence, close up, from guys who were just like them once and that is priceless.
Princeton, let's show our support, and take advantage of opportunities that come to our town. We need to get behind our kids, because they are our kids, and their success is our success.
