Coach Clint

by Brady Beck, grade 11

Baseball has always been my passion. It is a game where I can play to relax and put my mind at ease. One of the biggest reasons for my love of the game is because of my coach, Clint. 

Clint is more than a coach to my team, he is our friend. Clint has been coaching me for five years and we have switched teams and still managed to stay together. He makes sure to get all of our phone numbers so we can reach out with questions. Whenever someone messes up and does not know what uniform to wear he will respond within 5 minutes. I can snapchat him videos of my swing no matter the time of day and he will be willing to take time and critique it. 

He has impacted our lives greatly for the better. Clint just got married. Being in his shoes I would not want to see a bunch of 17 year old high school boys walk into the church on what is supposed to be his day. But not Clint; he told us we could come. To me that is more than a coach, that is someone who truly cares about his “kids” and wants to further a relationship with them. Clint truly cares about us and shows that just because he is older than us does not mean that he cannot develop a relationship with us. 

I hear a lot of stories about kids who have quit their sport because a coach ruined it for them. To me that seems utterly ridiculous. My coach has made me find a love for the game so strong that I plan on playing at the next level. When we are down by 8 in the last inning. Against the Durham Bulls Scout team he kept saying “it’s not over till it’s over, keep going till the ump tells you to stop”. That pushed our team to come back to win that game. 

One thing that makes Clint such a good coach is that he puts forth effort. Clint comes to practice every Sunday at 9 AM with a smile on his face. He has many other things he could be doing like spending time with his wife, taking care of his new dog, or even playing 2k at home. But instead, he chooses to devote his time to 18, 17 year olds every single week. To Clint this is more than just a game, it is his passion to make his players the best versions of themselves they can be. He never stops pushing us until he knows we gave it our all and expects nothing less.   

I know I speak for more than just myself on this, but I could not wish for a better coach in any way. I can not thank you enough for the impact you have made on my life. 

Thank you, Coach Clint.