Grit and Grind
Why Sports Shape Us for Life
Growing up, I was drawn to a certain kind of person.
The kind who had the grind.
They were the ones who showed up early and stayed late. The ones who squeezed in extra reps after practice, who dove headfirst into drills—sometimes quite literally. They were the kids belly flopping on a dive play, (and still laughing about it twenty years later). The ones who gave everything they had in pursuit of one goal: to be their best.
We shared terrible losses and extraordinary wins. We bruised, we limped, we learned. We pushed through the pain and found something deep within ourselves. Something called grit.
Grit isn’t just perseverance. It’s the unshakable resolve to keep moving forward, especially when things are hard. It's fighting through frustration, fatigue, and fear, and doing it anyway.
Sometimes the reward is the win.
But sometimes, the reward is the loss that transforms you. It’s the heartbreak that fuels your growth. It’s what drives you to self-reflect, recalibrate, and rise stronger. And when you’ve worked hard enough—really hard—something starts to click. First one thing, then another, and suddenly your body knows how to do what your mind had envisioned all along.
That moment of breakthrough?
That’s what it’s all about.
Confidence follows. Not just in sports, but in life. Because once you’ve pushed through something difficult and come out the other side, you carry that strength with you forever.
For me, softball wasn’t seasonal—it was always.
It taught me how to be mentally tough, physically strong, and emotionally resilient. It gave me tools I still use today in every part of life: in school, in my career, in my marriage, in parenting. It wasn’t about being perfect. It was about never giving up, learning from failure, and adapting with grace.
Now, as a coach, my role goes way beyond teaching a swing. I want my players to understand why we train a certain way. I want them to learn how to recognize their own mistakes and fix them on their own. I want to build their inner voice—the one that says, “You’ve got this,” even when no one else is around.
It’s not just about building good athletes.
It’s about building confident, but humble humans.
At Siuslaw Athletics Academy, we strive to challenge kids in meaningful ways—through encouraging words and actions. We take our responsibility as coaches, mentors, and fellow parents seriously, and we understand just how powerful our influence can be. Every moment with a young athlete is an opportunity to help shape character, build resilience, and light that inner spark that keeps them going.
Today’s kids face a mountain we didn’t.
They battle the pressures of social media, digital distractions, lack of free time, and too often, a shortage of meaningful adult guidance. Many are being raised by screens instead of experiences.
That’s why sports matter more now than ever.
They offer structure. They offer discipline.
They offer real-world feedback, real-time learning, and real connection. They give kids a place to struggle safely, to grow through adversity, and to feel proud of their progress.
As coaches, we carry a massive responsibility.
We’re not just teaching mechanics—we’re helping raise the next generation. And if we do it right, we’re raising them with grit. With the grind. With the ability to take on whatever life throws at them.
Because the real win isn’t just a score on a scoreboard—
It’s who you become on the way there.
