Tucson SPORT - September 2007 - (Page 32) SPORTS ZONE engage COACH’S CORNER FeatUreD CoaCh UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA, ASSISTANT SOFTBALL COACH Tucson SPORT: When did you start playing softball? Nancy: When I was like four or five years old. I had an older brother and a dad that coached. My mom was an athlete so I grew up in that atmosphere. Ever since the minute I could hold a ball and throw it, I remember throwing it at my brother ((laughing)) because I wanted to do what he was doing… I wanted to be better than him because I was so competitive. It’s the one thing I know so well because I’ve done it my entire life. Tucson SPORT: What’s it take to be successful as a player and a team? Nancy: A lot goes into success, that’s for sure. To be successful as a player, you have to believe in the process… a combination of both the physical side, which is the strength and conditioning, and the practice; and the mental side, which is understanding yourself, what you’re doing, and understanding your opponent. When a player has the physical, the mental side, that’s a good thing. When you put a group of these individuals together, and add an innate competitive drive to win then, you ‘ll have a successful team. I think the great players that have true success in any athletic game or contest are the ones that are unselfish and put their team before themselves. That’s usually when the great things happen for those kinds of players. Tucson SPORT: What’s your biggest challenge as a coach? Any coaching advice? Nancy: You do have to be different with every individual player that you coach and if you’re not, you’re not going to get the same results. You want the best results from each individual player--you have to treat them each individually and give them what they need. Know how far to push them and know what buttons to push to get them to be feeling good and successful. NANCY EVANS 32 TUCSON SPORT MAGAZINE | www.tucsonspor t.net Photo by Kidspix.net http://Kidspix.net http://www.tucsonsport.net
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