While most girls softball all-star teams are already finished playing for the summer, the Coronado Youth Softball (CYS) 14 under all-star team is headed to the Nationals! The team played in the Southern California C State Championship in Lancaster, California from July 1-3, 2016. After being knocked into the losers’ bracket by Whittier in a 5-3 loss, the team rallied. On July 3rd the CYS 14U all-stars played five back-to-back games, including two final wins over Whittier to take the 2016 ASA Softball Southern California State Champions title. The team has now qualified for the Western National Tournament of Champions in La Habra, California from July 26-31, 2016. The girls will face the best recreational all-star teams from all over the Western United States, with teams coming from as far away as Hawaii. This is the first time in CYS’s history that one of its all-star teams has earned such a title in the ASA/USA (the national governing body of softball) tournaments.
At one of the team’s most recent practices at their home field at Tidelands Park, I had the pleasure of speaking with the team’s coaches and the majority of the players about the team’s accomplishments. It’s more than evident that the winning combination for this team’s athletic success not only involves their athleticism and dedication, but also their genuine camaraderie and respect for one another.
The 14U all-star team is led by coaches Jason Smith, the president of CYS, and Rodney and Janineanne Taeatafa. Coach Jason, Coach Rodney, and Coach J have worked with the majority of their players since the girls first started playing softball. They’re so proud of how far the girls have come in terms of their softball skills, and even prouder of the young adults they are becoming.
Interview with the CYS 14U All-Star Coaches:
What does it mean to you as coaches that your players have earned the Southern California State Champions title?
- Coach Jason: “It means that a lot of hard work and a lot of years of preparation and commitment has finally paid off.”
- Coach Rodney: “These girls worked hard. They put in the work, and this is the result of it.”
How have the girls’ softball skills changed over the years from when you first started coaching them to now?
The back of Coach J’s shirt Coach Jason: “I’d say about 5 of these girls have played together since they were 8 years old so you’re going on 6 years now since they started out. When they started in the league, the rules were very basic and minimal. We were just happy [when the team started] to show up to all-stars, where we’d lose our couple of games and go home. Now to be able to win the whole thing shows just how much work they’ve put in.
Who are the team’s power hitters?
- Coach Jason: “Nessa, Lupita, Laiken, and Lily are our top four hitters.”
Which player has the best team spirit/attitude?
- Coach Jason: “Ooooh! That’s a tough one. You know the one girl who keeps our team motivated all the time is Celeste Montano.” (Celeste, who is one of the team’s captains was not present at practice the day of the interview.)
What are you going to miss the most about this particular group of girls?
- Coach J: “Just how close they are. A lot of these girls don’t live here so they’re going to go to other schools next year, and are going to branch off and do their own thing. That’s what I’m going to miss; them playing together and how close they are. They go do things together outside of this.”
- Coach Rodney: “That’s one thing I think surprisingly is how much these girls have bonded. When the high school girls came we weren’t sure how the cohesiveness would change, but they became even closer.”
- Coach Jason: “You know it’s always a different element year after year. I can tell you two years ago that a good portion of these kids were on the same team, and the friendships then weren’t even close to the way they’ve bonded now. They travel together now. They’ve done extremely well in all different types of weather environments and hotels, just like business trips. They’ve grown up to be a good team together.”
Do you attribute part of their success to the friendships they’ve formed with one another?
- Coach Jason: “Yes, definitely! Them liking each other keeps them playing with each other. There are definitely opportunities for these kids to venture off to get their own successes in travel ball, but this group has continued to choose to play together. That’s just a tribute to them wanting to be with their friends.”
Which team(s) do you anticipate will be your biggest opponents during this upcoming Western National Tournament of Champions?
- Coach Jason: “That’s going to be tough now that we’re playing against teams outside of just California, teams we don’t even know; those are usually the ones who are the scariest. Southern California has the greatest talent all across the country so us playing them [Southern California teams] over and over again gives us a feeling of confidence a little bit, but we still don’t know much about the teams from out of state.
What can the people of Coronado do to show their support for the CYS 14U all-stars?
- Coach Jason: “Have their girls sign up for softball next year!”
- Coach J: “Yes, absolutely! Get these younger girls out here!”
Interview with the CYS 14U All-Star Players:
What does it mean to you to win the Southern California C State Championships?
- Cassidy: “For it being my last year of being able to play, it’s pretty exciting, and it’s a pretty big accomplishment for Coronado.”
What does it mean to you to make it to the Western National Tournament of Champions?
- Idaliz: “It’s a really big opportunity! Since we’re such a little district, no one would expect us to go. It’s pretty fun, and it’s exciting.”
How do you feel about this upcoming Nationals tournament that your all-star team is going to play in later this month?
- Pita: “I feel excited, proud, and honored to be part of this team, especially because it’s our last year playing together. Just to make it this far and representing the small “island” of Coronado is so exciting!”
How does it feel having your father as one of your softball coaches this all-star season?
- Katelyn: “I actually like it because then he gets to see exactly what I’m doing. My mom watches on the side so it’s cool to have him on the field for a good point of view to tell me what to do.”
Since your dad is the president of Coronado Youth Softball, is it even more meaningful to you to make it this far in the all-stars?
- Katelyn: “Oh, yeah! Definitely! He’s especially excited because it’s our first year going to Nationals. It’s pretty cool because we won State and Districts.”
How does it feel to have your grandparents as two of your softball coaches this all-star season?
- Nessa: “It feels good. They push me more than a regular coach would, and they know my limits. They know when to push me more and when not to so that’s always good to have.”
What does it mean to you to have them here with you during this journey?
- Nessa: “It’s a good experience because they get to be here with me and experience the same things I’m experiencing.
What do you like most about your coaches?
- Keelin: “They’re all very nice. They’re hard on us, but they do it for us to get better. All of them have been coaching us since we were really little so we’ve been able to grow up together.”
Does it make you emotional that this is your last year playing softball with your coaches and this group of girls?
- Keelin: (Sighs before answering.) “Yeah, definitely!”
Tell me what it’s been like playing in tournaments this all-star season.
- Laiken: “I like playing in tournaments more than just playing singular games on the weekend. I like traveling to go to the tournaments and playing different teams we’ve never played before.”
What’s been the best part about playing during this all-star season?
- Maddie: “Just playing with all of my friends and having the opportunity to become even closer. We’ve become a family.”
What do you think you’ll remember most about this all-star season?
- Kelly: “Well, we’ve won a lot more games than usual seasons. It’s just a really fun team. I’ll remember winning and the friendships I’ve made with all of these girls.”
What do you like best about playing softball?
- Lily: “I like being with my friends. Softball is so great because it’s a team sport.”
What message do you have for girls who have never played softball before?
- Kylie: “You play the sport because you enjoy it, and you get out there because you want to have fun. No matter what, even if you’re new at it, just get into it, and you can succeed if you just try.”
While not everyone from Coronado will be traveling up to La Habra later this month for the Western National Tournament of Champions, everyone here in the Crown City will be rooting for the Coronado 14U all-stars, chanting along from afar with, “Nado You Know!” Whether the team wins or loses at Nationals, they are already to be commended for their title of 2016 ASA Softball Southern California State Champions. They truly exemplify that there is no “I” in team.
