When I met Mr. Clark for the first time at a Uniform Blowout event, I knew I was meeting a special man. The way he carried himself as a coach around his team ... the eyes of the girls when he spoke was on him. Respect shown.
The next adventure with Mr. Clark was in Beavercreek and a call made by the umpire out in the field.. in this case thank goodness it wasn't me !!! but it was the guy I was working with that game. Mr Clark asked the field umpire to consult with me on a pulled foot call at first base.. and he was refusing... sooo Jim Clark preceeded to just "overkill this umpire with kindness of words" so eloquent.. that this umpire had no idea he was being berated until Jim walked away back into the dugout. Then the light bulb went off in the umpire's head...LOL..
I was smiling all the while enjoying myself actually because the umpire wouldn't look to me for a second opinion which is wrong in my book .. and surely Mr Clark's book , too.
But, it was soft gentle voice.. not loud, not demanding, just the factual thought of what he was thinking. A coach leads by example. With fans asking the ump nicely, " Why not ask".. Mr Clark defused a situation, stepped up his players to a higher level and then proceeded to score 6 in the final two innings to win the game.
Motivation comes in different forms . But respect from your players is the key to winning as a coach. Mr Clark has that from his players. Granted I have only seen the last four years of his coaching ... but it only took a couple of events for me to realize his impact on the girls he coached.
Mr Clark, my best to you in everything you do.
Hang around on the OFC and share that knowledge with us. You have given so much on the field of play and your never ending knowledge would be appreciated by us.. the OFC masses. Great advice is something you can never get enough of in life.
We await.
Respectfully yours,
Tim Cleaver
It's sad when a great talent leaves the game, a huge loss for softball. Enjoy your time off and don't go too far from the ball firelds!!!