Thanks for everything you've done for my son this year. When you invited him on the Gators in April that made the difference in his life and completely changed his outlook on everything….Do you know that since last April his grades at school have gone through the roof and may make 1st honors. This is from a kid who struggled all through elementary being a resource kid and still is but has the lowest grade of B-, and he's so upset with that….I owe ALOT of this improved performance to the hard work that the Gators instilled but absolutely the acceptance that the Gators team did for welcoming him on the team in April…..That forever changed him this year to what he is now, a hopeful honor student.

 

I just want to thank you for everything you have done for my son these past several months.  My son has the utmost respect for you and all the coaches he has worked with thus far.  He loves you all for different reasons...he raves about them and the personal connections they have made with him...He leaves the facility feeling so positive about himself and always has a takeaway on something he wants to work on.

 

Also, I want to sincerely thank you for the coaching you have given my son over the past couple years. He is extremely pleased with you as a coach, out of the many coaches he has had over the years, he says you are by far his favorite. Also, his mom and I are extremely pleased with you as a coach. You are perpetually professional as a coach and we are extremely pleased with the progress he's made under your coaching, not only physical performance, but his mental performance as a baseball player. Prior to the Gators, his biggest weakness was his mental/emotional status while playing, one “bad call” while pitching and he would get flustered and completely lose his rhythm and pretty much be unusable for the remainder of the game. The Gators, and you in particular, have grounded him mentally and emotionally as a player so that even when his pitching (or playing in general) isn’t going well, he can maintain his composure and work through it, overcome it, and climb out of the rut he is in and succeed.

 

I can’t believe it has been five years.    Starting at 13 years old and now he will be turning 18 next year.  All I can say it was a big part of his life...The program had a big part in his growth as a player and young adult.   The program’s format and philosophy along with the coaching kept him playing baseball for many years...In these growing years (13-18) I believe many kids quit sports they love for all the wrong reasons and it is mostly related to the program’s outlook and coaching... Winning and doing great is easy to coach through. Coaching mostly occurs when mistakes, losses, and upsets happen and how these are handled...Your staff has done a great job at it by working on what was needed and kept moving forward...I learned a lot about this myself by just watching...You and your staff have built a great program 

 

I have been coaching and managing in the  Orange Little league for the past 7 or 8 years. Brought a team to Cooperstown when the team was 12 to play against 110 teams that week…..I have never heard my son jump in the car as I have since he joined your team excited about baseball. It is wonderful to hear him tell me about practice and the scrimmages….Thank you for your hard work.

 

To say we are so incredibly proud of him, is an understatement.  I personally wanted to let you know because you and the program you developed at the Gators contributed to him getting this award.  I can go on and on, but I KNOW how much you LOVE long emails.  Thank you for seeing something in my son and, for giving him an amazing opportunity to be a Gator, and for being a true mentor and role model for our son.

 

Coach...I just committed to the admissions process at Haverford! I really can't say that there's been another coach or adult (short of my parents) that has helped me with the recruiting process as much as you have and sincerely appreciate all your support. Thank you too for all the years of instruction that have made me a better person and given me the opportunity to play college basebaIl. I think that as you said, Haverford is going to be a great fit for me.

 

I try not to sound too much like a proud father, but I just wanted to let you know about his plate performance on Saturday. His first time to the plate as a Gator resulted in a three-run home run to dead center field. His second time up was a solo home run down the right field line and his last time up was a line drive single to left-center field gap. Needless to say, he was all smiles and proud to be a Gator.