Our Trophy Case. Marissa Treibley.

“Hard work pays off” is the mantra for most athletes who want to excel at their sport.  Whether it requires extra practices or workouts to reach the goal, successful athletes know what it takes to get ahead.  But what happens when you are already a successful athlete at a young age?

Marissa Treibley is currently at this stage in her career; she’s a young stud who pretty much gets all of her team outs via the strikeout.  Marissa is the pitcher for two different teams this past year and the records for each team accentuate the work that she puts into her pitching.  Her 12U rec team went 14-0 this past season and they were the champions of this division.  Her travel team also did very well this past season, winning two tournaments and coming in second and third in the other two.  She helped lead her team to three championship games and pitched in all three.  On May 3rd, Marissa Triebley did something many other pitchers dream of:  she pitched a PERFECT game!  She didn’t only work on her pitching, but her hitting as well.  It paid off this past season when she was the cleanup hitter.  She had several homeruns, multiple extra base hits, and numerous RBIs to help her team offensively.   

Marissa isn’t just a softball player.  She also plays volleyball in the fall while juggling school and softball workouts.  Being a multi-sport athlete helps Marissa learn the importance of time-management while she is running between volleyball and softball practices.  Keep working hard, Marissa, in everything that you do.  Good luck in volleyball this fall and softball in the spring!  Remember, hard work pays off!

Our Trophy Case. Carrie Fix.

With the end of summer, many students are heading off to college and moving into a new chapter of their lives.  One of these students is Carrie Fix.  She isn’t just a student; she is a hard-working student-athlete.  

Carrie is hoping to take her
achievements in high school and build upon her goals while playing softball at Messiah.  As a four year varsity starter at York Catholic High, Carrie knows the kind of hard work it takes to play at higher levels.  She was the starting pitcher her junior and senior years, recording 120 strikeouts and only giving up nine walks in the 63 innings she pitched as a senior.  Her hard work didn’t only show on the mound; she helped her team on offense with a .737 batting average and 25 RBIs.  Her great work ethic was recognized with three different honors during her high school career:  Carrie was named Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year for YAIAA Division IV, selected to the 2013 PSCA Class AA All-State second team, and received a 2014 Distinguished Achievement Award.

Carrie’s ability to work hard was first recognized by her travel coaches.  She started playing with the PA Ball Hawks 10 years ago and was one of the team leaders every year because she was always so willing to work to be at her best.  This was proven with a .500 batting average and a 94% fielding percentage for the 2013 season.

Carrie will be a fresh welcome to the Falcons and hopefully a positive influence on the rest of the team to work at their games until they are at their best.  Good luck this season, Carrie!  Keep working towards your goals! 

Creating a practice plan

It may seem "common sense" but it really is essential to have a written practice plan prepared before practice starts. No coach manages time well enough to "roll with an idea". But what should this plan look like? Consider these keys

**everyone is more comfortable with routine, so some aspects of your practice should be routine like the same daily warmups, or adding a competitive element at the end. 

**consider attention spans to be between 15-20min for the average athlete. So plan different drills or breaks with this in mind.  

**consider a written equipment list for each listed drill you plan on doing so you can create efficient transitions. Players are happy to setup stations but they often lose focus if you're not prepare with what you need 

Concepts to include in your best practices:

1) dynamic warmup (daily routine)

2) skill warmup (throwing/dribbling/running)

3) skill drill for fundamentals (routines that are incorporated weekly)

4) game-like drill or game-directed practice 

5) secondary skill (routines that are incorporated weekly)

6) conditioning / competitive element 

These quick tips are provided by Pro Coach and parent, Jordyn Bibiloni. For more tips, drills, and videos follow @HivesportsCoach on twitter and Instagram