Paloma Valley baseball team succeeding on, off field
By Tommie Brown, Staff Writer Baseball season is upon us, but for Paloma Valley High School’s varsity and JV baseball teams, home runs and...
http://www.menifee247.com/2019/04/paloma-baseball-team-succeeding-on-off-field.html
By Tommie Brown, Staff Writer
Baseball season is upon us, but for Paloma Valley High School’s varsity and JV baseball teams, home runs and strikeouts aren’t the only focus this season.
The team is doing well on the field, taking a 14-6 overall record into Tuesday's home game against rival Heritage High. But while winning is always the goal for any competitive sport, PVHS baseball coaches decided that being successful on the field isn't enough.
They are teaching the players that failing as teammates and young men leads to an overall loss, no matter what the scoreboard reads. This is why this season the team slid straight into character development and moral ethics training long before they set their sights on home plate.
"It is a game of failure," says Coach David McCoy. "You get 3 hits out of 10 for your career and you are in the Hall of Fame -- you have failed 70 percent of the time. Therefore, the game teaches you to be humble in success and resilient in failure.
"It'sa lesson we could all use. Young men who do not have that mindset, by and large, will not have success."
After deciding that this new season of baseball would take a different path than previous seasons, the coaches came up with "The Three P’s." They stand for Purpose (Preparation, Accountable, Discipline, Effort), Passion (Respect, Integrity, Love, Selfless), and Perseverance (Humility, Trust, Courage, Faith).
Each coach took charge of one "P" and taught new character traits coinciding with each to the boys over the course of 12 weeks in the fall.
"We sought out to deliberately teach character," says Coach Jason Berni. "Whether or not coaches want to do it, they have an obligation to mentor athletes and discuss what it means to be a good player, teammate, and person."
The teachings didn’t end there. Amid the coach’s lessons of morality, Athletic Director Ryan Sharp and Principal Jennifer Thomasian were also invited to speak to the boys about character.
"I talked about Team over Self," says Sharp. "The group was super receptive … we talked about the times that ego will take a talented team down an unsuccessful path, but how teamwork and selflessness can enhance all of the people around you."
While visiting the field during practices to gather interviews and photos, the camaraderie between the players and coaches is evident. Fist bumps and pats on the back live where jeers of failure most usually do. When one player faced a short-coming, another teammate was readily by their side, giving constructive criticism or words of encouragement.
"I 100 percent see a difference on the field now," says sophomore infielder Matthew Gaunt. "We pick each other up now. When one guy isn’t performing as well as he should be, we come in and pick up where he left off and lift him up. We learned that we play off each other’s energy."
Other teammates agree with Gaunt on the noticeable difference felt on and off the field.
"It’s not just about the sport anymore," says senior pitcher Cade Swenson.. "You have to be a good person on and off the field. And that itself affects the actual game, because it gives out motivation. Bad sportsmanship on or off the field just makes the game so much less fun for everyone."
Chiming in on his side was senior pitcher Peter Rodriguez.
"We talk now as a team," Rodriguez said. "We communicate. When someone gets up to bat, everyone stops and cheers for them and gets the whole energy up, and that makes us want to play better."
"Agreed," nodded Swenson. "We see a big difference between even us and other schools we play. While they are attacking one another or us, we don’t give them any attention anymore. We just focus on each other."
Junior infielder Owen Prendergast may have summed up the entirety of the 12-week course, straightening his cap and shrugging his shoulders.
"It’s just about having a positive outlook on life and yourself – letting it go," he said. "You can’t carry around the errors you make and let that weigh you down."
The success of these lessons hasn’t reached its peak on the field. The players have also shown their growth in their classrooms.
"I talked to the players about effort," says Coach Joseph Conrad. "It is extremely important to do well in school, so they can get a good job…[or]…if these kids are good enough to play in college … they can get a lot of academic money to play.
"If they have that mindset to put the effort in, they will work harder naturally. The players are working hard on and off the field. Now, some kids’ grades have gone up considerably."
From players to coaches to administrators, each individual had the same idea of success on their mind. When asked how the season was going, not one made any mention to stats or placings, but of the overall growth of the team’s maturity.
Having a fairly young varsity team made up of mostly juniors and sophomores, the players are looking forward to not only the rest of their season, but the years to come with their new foundation of integrity and sportsmanship.
"It is exciting to see them grow as baseball players, but most importantly to see them grow as human beings," says Conrad.
"The goal is to do our part, to the best of our ability," concludes Berni, "to help provide student-athletes with what they need to make the world a better place."
Baseball season is upon us, but for Paloma Valley High School’s varsity and JV baseball teams, home runs and strikeouts aren’t the only focus this season.
The team is doing well on the field, taking a 14-6 overall record into Tuesday's home game against rival Heritage High. But while winning is always the goal for any competitive sport, PVHS baseball coaches decided that being successful on the field isn't enough.
They are teaching the players that failing as teammates and young men leads to an overall loss, no matter what the scoreboard reads. This is why this season the team slid straight into character development and moral ethics training long before they set their sights on home plate.
"It is a game of failure," says Coach David McCoy. "You get 3 hits out of 10 for your career and you are in the Hall of Fame -- you have failed 70 percent of the time. Therefore, the game teaches you to be humble in success and resilient in failure."It'sa lesson we could all use. Young men who do not have that mindset, by and large, will not have success."
After deciding that this new season of baseball would take a different path than previous seasons, the coaches came up with "The Three P’s." They stand for Purpose (Preparation, Accountable, Discipline, Effort), Passion (Respect, Integrity, Love, Selfless), and Perseverance (Humility, Trust, Courage, Faith).
Each coach took charge of one "P" and taught new character traits coinciding with each to the boys over the course of 12 weeks in the fall.
"We sought out to deliberately teach character," says Coach Jason Berni. "Whether or not coaches want to do it, they have an obligation to mentor athletes and discuss what it means to be a good player, teammate, and person."
The teachings didn’t end there. Amid the coach’s lessons of morality, Athletic Director Ryan Sharp and Principal Jennifer Thomasian were also invited to speak to the boys about character.
"I talked about Team over Self," says Sharp. "The group was super receptive … we talked about the times that ego will take a talented team down an unsuccessful path, but how teamwork and selflessness can enhance all of the people around you."
While visiting the field during practices to gather interviews and photos, the camaraderie between the players and coaches is evident. Fist bumps and pats on the back live where jeers of failure most usually do. When one player faced a short-coming, another teammate was readily by their side, giving constructive criticism or words of encouragement.
"I 100 percent see a difference on the field now," says sophomore infielder Matthew Gaunt. "We pick each other up now. When one guy isn’t performing as well as he should be, we come in and pick up where he left off and lift him up. We learned that we play off each other’s energy."
Other teammates agree with Gaunt on the noticeable difference felt on and off the field.
"It’s not just about the sport anymore," says senior pitcher Cade Swenson.. "You have to be a good person on and off the field. And that itself affects the actual game, because it gives out motivation. Bad sportsmanship on or off the field just makes the game so much less fun for everyone."
Chiming in on his side was senior pitcher Peter Rodriguez.
"We talk now as a team," Rodriguez said. "We communicate. When someone gets up to bat, everyone stops and cheers for them and gets the whole energy up, and that makes us want to play better."
"Agreed," nodded Swenson. "We see a big difference between even us and other schools we play. While they are attacking one another or us, we don’t give them any attention anymore. We just focus on each other."
Junior infielder Owen Prendergast may have summed up the entirety of the 12-week course, straightening his cap and shrugging his shoulders."It’s just about having a positive outlook on life and yourself – letting it go," he said. "You can’t carry around the errors you make and let that weigh you down."
The success of these lessons hasn’t reached its peak on the field. The players have also shown their growth in their classrooms.
"I talked to the players about effort," says Coach Joseph Conrad. "It is extremely important to do well in school, so they can get a good job…[or]…if these kids are good enough to play in college … they can get a lot of academic money to play.
"If they have that mindset to put the effort in, they will work harder naturally. The players are working hard on and off the field. Now, some kids’ grades have gone up considerably."
Having a fairly young varsity team made up of mostly juniors and sophomores, the players are looking forward to not only the rest of their season, but the years to come with their new foundation of integrity and sportsmanship.
"It is exciting to see them grow as baseball players, but most importantly to see them grow as human beings," says Conrad."The goal is to do our part, to the best of our ability," concludes Berni, "to help provide student-athletes with what they need to make the world a better place."
