It’s that time of year again—Little League season is finally upon us. Opening Day for Williamsburg Little League is this Saturday, with a ceremony being held at 10 a.m. to recognize each player and team participating in the upcoming season.
Having participated in last year’s ceremony, I can say that it is a special day, especially for the kids. This year, however, Williamsburg Little League will also have even more to celebrate, as this year marks its 50th year as a continuous charter member of the international organization.
I will once again be participating in the ceremony, as I am returning as the head coach of my daughter’s coach pitch team. I will also be actively covering the event for the newspaper as well.
I’ve talked with Patty Faulkner, the president of Williamsburg Little League, on multiple occasions now regarding the planned reporting. I am excited to be able to highlight her, the league and the many folks who make it possible each year—most of which are volunteers and likely don’t get the proper acknowledgement from the community for their work.
Readers can expect photos, interviews and more from this weekend’s Opening Day in next week’s edition of the News Journal.
While I am looking forward to the start of the season, it wouldn’t be honest of me to say that I don’t have a bit of trepidation about it as well.
I have held twice weekly practices since the end of March, but I still find myself wishing there was more time to work on some of the issues my team has been struggling with. I suppose every coach in the league likely shares that sentiment to some degree, but it’s a tough feeling to shake leading up to the first game of the season.
At this point, I don’t have any idea of the skill level of the other coach pitch teams in the league, which means I don’t really have a good reference point for where we stand among the pack. Based on last year, I know that these kids will show a marked improvement over the course of the season, and that my anxiety—much of which is self-manufactured—will likely subside (or most of it, hopefully).
As I’ve said in this column before, I am naturally competitive. Actually, I might be unnaturally competitive, because I tend to have an unnatural desire to win at everything I do at any cost. That desire has been so strong at times that it has been my own undoing. I was able to subdue that overbearing part of my nature last season and intend on doing the same this year, too.
Obviously, I want my team to win. I want these kids to win. More importantly though, I want to see them succeed. I want to see them grow. I want to see them have fun. I believe that is what the true spirit of Little League is all about. If we are able to win a few games along the way, that’s just an added bonus.
