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A League of Extraordinary CoachesPosted on: 2009-03-12In the summer of 2004 Brian Jones put together a baseball team comprised of Sugar Land Little League kids. At age seven, these kids practiced and played together outside of the normal season. The friendship that developed was to be a contributing factor to their success.
The idea to build a team was to better the chances in All Stars. Jones worked hard to establish a good work effort by pushing the kids to improve, but led the call for his assistant coaches to educate themselves as well. These coaches became consistent leaders of teams during Little League seasons. During a time when most age groups dwindle in Little League, the skills and experience they passed on actually opened the door for another successful select team in their same age group called the Sugar Land Fehrle Fire.
The addition resulted in a shuffle of players which left the team short of some talent. Jones recruited a few more boys from the developing league. For the next two years, the team would work hard to establish the cohesiveness they had always brought to practice, games, and even in their friendship outside of baseball.
In 2008, the team made a commitment to playing a higher level of competition under USSSA rules. In the summer, they participated in their first USSSA tournament at Katy Pony Fields. It was not a surprise that the team debuted with a Championship Win. During the winter season of 2008, the team played a three month Sunday Double Header tournament in which they continued their winning streak in this style of baseball. After the holiday break the team struggled to stick to their practice regimen, and it showed in some of the close losses they endured in tournaments.
With the start of the 2009 Spring Little League Season, the Hurricanes were getting some much needed practice from some familiar coaches. Out of the six teams that make up the 11 & 12 year old division, five of the teams are managed by coaches from the Hurricanes. Of course the sixth team has an assistant coach who is an active Hurricanes coach. The appearance of these coaches in these positions is a tribute to the devotion that they have toward the advancement of the baseball in Sugar Land and the Hurricanes. Through many kids’ eyes, they are truly a League of Extraordinary Coaches.
Over the years, Brian Jones has led this team through the good times and the rough ones. His dedication was never questioned and his heart was always in the right place. He did not give in to the common practice in select baseball to “finding the better players” in order to make his team better. His perseverance in coaching, no matter what the outcome, made the team better. Unfortunately in early February, Brian Jones informed the team that he was going to step down as the Manager. It was a very difficult decision for him, but one that he had to make for his family. While Mark Gregory has taken over the team, Jones is continuing to pour his heart and soul into this team every chance he gets.
On March 6th, the Sugar Land Hurricanes took the field against the Select Class 12U Texas Rebels at the Spring Break Blast hosted by the Cy-Fair Sports Association in Northwest Houston. It was evident that the boys came to play ball by shutting out the Rebels 6-0. It continued on Saturday when they handed the Select Class 12U Cy-Fair Vipers a 12-3 loss. Out of the 17 teams, the Hurricanes were seeded second in the tournament and on Sunday afternoon they appeared across the field from the fifth seeded Elite Class 11U Houston Miracles Blue. The Hurricanes continued to play exceptional team ball and the Miracles went down 8-3. With a short rest, the Hurricanes struck a blow to the fourth seeded Select Class 12U Cypress Knights in an 8-6 win. The Hurricanes were going to the Championship game against the Select Class 12U Crosby Rebels. Not only were the Rebels the top seeded team in the tournament, they were the team with the highest strength rating in USSSA. The Hurricanes did not waste time before putting a few runs on the board in the beginning of the game. The Hurricanes held the Rebels to no score throughout most of the game and the excitement was in the air. When Coach Jones was not giving signs at third base, he looked like a little kid perched on two buckets with his head hanging over the dugout fence. He stood there with a smile from ear to ear and with every bark of encouragement, you could tell that he was proud of his team. The spectacular display of pitching, defense, base running, and hitting was an electric feeling that overflowed from the dugout and into the stands of the long supportive parents. The Hurricanes defeated the Crosby Rebels 5-1. The championship was a combined tournament effort that required every player and coach to do their part and put all they had been taught to use.
The Hurricanes will not be playing any more tournaments during the Little League Spring Season, but you will be able to see and feel a little bit of the energy that was generated in that short weekend of March 2009. Brian Jones will be out there doing what he loves coaching the Red Sox and going head to head with some of his extraordinary friends. It is a great experience for all 66 boys. As for the feelings the Hurricanes have for Coach Jones stepping down, who can think of a better sentiment than those boys taking the field during the 2009 Spring Break Blast and showing Brian Jones the results of his many years of sacrifice. This is a league of extraordinary coaches.
Website:www.slll.org -
2010 Summer Camp PreviewPosted on: 2010-02-163/20
Summer Camp Preview
The Honor Roll School
Sugar land, TX. 77479
10am-1pm
The Honor Roll School will hold their Preview to Summer Camp Festival on Saturday, March 20, 2010. The program is free and open to the public, no reservation required. The Festival will begin at 10:00 am and will run until 1pm. Family and Friends are all welcome to come out and enjoy a fun-filled day of games, prizes, arts & crafts, face painting, bouncy house, raffles and more! The Honor Roll School is located at, 4111 Sweetwater blvd, Sugarland TX. 77479. Visit www.thehonorrollschool.org
4/9
Summer Camp Preview
The Honor Roll School
Sugar land, TX. 77479
3pm-5pm
The Honor Roll School will hold their Preview to Summer Camp Festival on Friday, April 9, 2010. The program is free and open to the public, no reservation required. The Festival will begin at 3:00pm and will run until 5pm. Family and Friends are all welcome to come out and enjoy a fun-filled day of games, prizes, arts & crafts, face painting, bouncy house, raffles and more! The Honor Roll School is located at, 4111 Sweetwater blvd, Sugarland TX. 77479. Visit www.thehonorrollschool.org for more information.
Website:www.thehonorrollschool.orgEmail:Lorena.valdez@nlcinc.com
