University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Horton Hears A Who!
11/5/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2003
FROM THE DESK OF COACH - 11/12/03
HORTON HEARS A WHO!
As a freshman in law school, the first book I was assigned to read was "HORTON HEARS A WHO!" by Dr. Seuss; probably the only one that really made sense. The WORLD probably would be a better place if DR. SEUSS was our Supreme Court Justice. Anyway, that is another story for another day. We now have arrived at the FRESHMEN CLASS. Before we start spotlighting our freshmen class, we are going to review some basic principles that anybody who embarks on a new endeavor should be aware of.
First, the story of Horton hears a Who!
Horton is an elephant who hears a cry for help from a dust speck (tiny, tiny dust speck), which is actually a town called Who-ville whose citizens are called Whos. The other animals of the jungle cannot and do not hear the WHOs crying for help from this tiny dust speck, only Horton does. Horton asks the Mayor of Who-ville in order to prove to the other animals of the jungle that there is a town within this dust speck then, "Make every Who holler! Make every Who shout! Make every Who scream! If you don't, every Who is going to end up in a Beezle-Nut stew!"
They all screamed and still only Horton heard the Whos; and the animals of the jungle decided Horton was crazy and that they would cage Horton and dispose of this silly little dust speck: "Lasso his stomach with ten miles of rope! Tie the knots tight so he'll never shake loose! Then dunk that dumb speck (Who-ville) in the Beezle-Nut juice!" As they beat and mauled Horton and hauled him to his cage, he called to the Whos, "Don't give up! I believe in you all. A person's a person's, no matter how small! And you very small persons will not have to die if you make yourselves heard! So come on, now, and try!"
They started yelling and banging and hollering again and still only Horton could hear the Whos. Horton asked, "Are you sure all your boys are doing their best? Are they ALL making noise? Are you sure every Who down in Who-ville is working? Quick! Look through your town! Is there anyone shirking?"
As the Mayor rushed through the town to make sure all were doing their best, "He suddenly burst through a door and the Mayor discovered one shirker! A very small, very small shirker named Jo-Jo was standing, just standing, and bouncing a Yo-Yo! Not making a sound! Not a yipp! Not a chirp! And the Mayor rushed inside and he grabbed the young twerp! We've got to make noises in greater amounts! So, open your mouth, lad! FOR EVERY VOICE COUNTS!"
The lad cleared his throat and he shouted out, "YOPP!" That one small, extra YOPP put it over! Finally, at last! From that dust speck their voices were heard! They rang out clear and clean. And the elephant smiled. "Do you see what I mean?... They've proved they are persons, no matter how small. And their whole world was saved by the smallest of all!"
We all can change the world and make a difference. Seeing Mother Teresa on the news this week reminds me of how one day at a time, one lady's life can change the world. If we just "chip away at the mountain, one chip at a time and one day at a time" eventually we will make a huge hole. At the start of any new endeavor, the best thing to do is to start chipping and be resolved in knowing that you matter and you will and can be the difference. SEE the big picture but also do the chipping/small, everyday details.
The second story is called "LIFE'S STRUGGLES":
A man found a cocoon of an emperor moth. He took it home so that he could watch the moth come out of the cocoon. On the day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the moth for several hours as the moth struggled to force the body through that little hole.
The moth seemed to be stuck and appeared to have stopped making progress. It seemed as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther. The man, in his kindness, decided to help the moth; so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The moth then emerged easily. But its body was swollen and small, its wings wrinkled and shriveled.
The man continued to watch the moth because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to and able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the little moth spent the rest of its life crawling around with a small, swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.
The man in his kindness and haste did not understand that the struggle required for the moth to get through the tiny opening was necessary to force fluid from the body of the moth into its wings so that it would be ready for flight upon achieving its freedom from the cocoon. Freedom and flight would only come after the struggle. By depriving the moth of a struggle, he deprived the moth of health.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we were to go through our life without any obstacles, we would be crippled. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. Give every opportunity a chance, leave no room for regrets, and don't forget the power in the struggle.
---Author Unknown
Struggles are coming -- it is not a question of IF but of when. Use the struggles to become stronger -- as learning opportunities to figure out your weaknesses and do something about it. Adversity either makes your stronger or destroys you - unless someone does NOT allow you to struggle and learn. Parents BEWARE - let your kids struggle and learn and then FLY or else risk depriving them of learning opportunities and health.
Last story (for now) is called: "JOY IN THE JOURNEY":
Two brothers decided to dig a deep hole behind their house. As they were working, a couple of older boys stopped by to watch.
"What are you doing?" asked one of the visitors.
"We plan to dig a hole all the way through the earth!" one of the brothers volunteered excitedly.
The older boys began to laugh, telling the YOUNGER ones that digging a hole all the way through the earth was impossible.
After a long silence, one of the diggers picked up a jar full of spiders, worms and a wide assortment of other insects. He removed the lid and showed the contents to the scoffing visitors.
Then he said quietly and confidently, "Even if we don't dig all the way through the earth, look what we found along the way!"
-----Author Unknown
A goal is supposed to be ambitious; it is supposed to cause us to take action; to move in the direction of our intended destination; in other words - to start digging. Not every goal will be fully achieved. Not every job will end a complete success. Not every relationship will endure forever. Not every hope will come to pass. Not every dream will always be realized. BUT, if you indeed fall short of your aim, you should always be able to reflect and say, "LOOK AT WHAT WE FOUND ALONG THE WAY!" Look at all the wonderful relationships and memories and experiences and yes, struggles that came into my life because I took action and chased my dreams. You do not have to listen to the naysayers just because they are older.
Our 2004 Freshmen Class (in alphabetical order):
Michelle Bergeaux -- Outfielder; redshirted last year; from Krotz Springs; graduated from Port Barre HS which won the 2A state championship in 2001 with Bergeaux as the pitcher; played summer ball with the LA Patriots, the LA Gold and the Blast; daughter of Joan & Ron Bergeaux; majoring in education; 3 run homerun vs. McNeese this Fall. She's been eating her Wheaties!
Lacey Bertucci -- from Covington, LA.; graduated from Covington HS (that's somewhere around New Orleans); first baseman; played summer ball for the LA Voodoo; daughter of Lori & Dale Bertucci; majoring in Education; her first college at bat against Texas A&M - guess what? 2 run Homerun. It's an omen.
Heather Bobbitt -- pitcher from Vidor, TX; graduated from Vidor HS; led her team to its first play-off wins in school history; played summer ball with the Beaumont Blast, Hit Away Gold and the Blast; daughter of Denise & Jimmy Bobbitt; majoring in Kinesiology; pitched well this fall against SFA, Hill and Prairie View.
Desi Chatman -- outfielder from Lafayette (Broussard), LA; graduated from Comeaux HS; played summer ball for the LA Reflections which won the AFA Nationals in 2000, LA Gold which finished in the top 10 in 18U Gold in 2002; also throws the discus & shot for the track team; daughter of Nadine & Richard Carr; majoring in Sports Medicine; rotated in the outfield this fall and can swing a big stick.
Christine Collins -- Infielder from Sulphur, LA.; graduated from Sulphur HS which won the 5A State Championship in 2001--Christine was the SS; daughter of Terry & David Collins; majoring in Mass Communication. Christine showed her versatility by catching (for the first time in her life - she played SS at Sulphur), she also played 3B and 1B and also SS this fall. Working hard on her bat.
Hillary Guidry -- outfielder from Berwick, LA; graduated from Berwick HS which won the 3A State Championship in 2003 with Hillary on the mound (pitcher); played summer ball with the Breakers and the Reflections; daughter of Ralph & Donna Guidry; majoring in Communication - Broadcast Journalism. Hit a grand slam this fall and a couple more bombs; lead-off double vs. A&M and a lead-off single vs Baylor.
Holly Tankersly -- pitcher; outfielder; infielder; from Kirbyville, TX (town of about 1,000 as she likes to say); graduated from Kirbyville HS which won the State Championship in 2003 with Holly on the mound; played summer ball with the Beaumont Blast, Diamonds and the Blast; she is the daughter of Billy Jo & Johnny Tankersly; majoring in Kinesiology. Hit a BOMB against SW Texas' All-American pitcher and closed the game out pitching vs. Texas A&M.
Great kids! Great people! Super athletes! Super families! All winners on and off of the field.
More on our freshman class next week!
POTPOURRI:
We have started our push for season ticket sales and renewals. Feel free to e-mail either me at lotiefmpl@bellsouth.net or Coach Stef at slotief@louisiana.edu. Get your tickets NOW.
I know in my heart that this program and these girls, given a fair CHANCE, will compete for and win a National Championship. We need your help. We are going to start selling MORE advertising at the park and on the web site and in our media guide in order to raise money to be able to compete on a more even playing field. WE ARE LOOKING FOR 50 NEW SPONSORS at $1,000.00 a piece -- the $1,000 would get each sponsor a sign at Lady Cajun Field (either on the outfield fence or the new black fence at the entrance of the park or on the parking lot side of the locker room) and two (2) reserved seats for the home games and two (2) punch passes and a listing on this website and a listing in the Media Guide. Other programs sell their outfield walls and are able to raise anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000 per year for their program. The additional money helps in hiring and PAYING quality assistant coaches and full-time administrative assistants (help in the office) as well as being able to provide their players the best uniforms and practice gear and state of the art equipment. We ought to be able to do it too.
If anybody has any vendors or suppliers they deal with and have influence with -- ask them to sponsor us for $1,000.00. We are looking for NEW sponsors. If you know of any businesses or individuals that would/can contribute and support our cause, please contact them today and/or send me the information or invite them to the practice field or let's go have lunch.
Also, we are renewing the GAMEDAY sponsors - check out the game day sponsor form on this website. Gameday sponsors get advertising on the scoreboard read-out and by the announcer at the home games and on a sponsor board located where the fans walk into the park.
The HOMERUN GANG is starting its push again too. The way it works is you pledge a dollar amount for every homerun the girls hit this season. $1, $2, $5, $10. Every month, they send a statement letting you know how many homeruns the team hit that month and your contribution is sent in. It really ADDS UP if: we can get a lot of people to pledge AND we can hit a lot of homeruns. It is so much fun to watch some of the sponsors 1st - jump up and down and give each other high 5 after a homerun and then when they sit back down, hold their hearts or pocket books or scratch their heads. It is a fun time and a great way to support the team.
Our girls have a unique opportunity. The more success they have, then the bigger their platform will be. These are the girls (IMO) whose message and values and stories need to be told to inspire the "dreams" of all the little girls out there. Can you help them chase their dreams? Thank-you!
It is just like HORTON HEARS A WHO -- we are the "dust speck" in the world of college athletics; the other "animals" would love to throw us right into the Beezle-Nut stew -- but for HORTON - our HORTON is YOU -- our FANS. Horton is going to protect us because he realizes that OUR VOICES COUNT and that THESE GIRLS DO MATTER and the people on this "dust speck" though small are not INSIGNIFICANT -- they are people with big dreams and aspirations and good hearts who work hard everyday to be BETTER, they are fearless and accept the challenge/obligation to change this world and make it a better place. It is up to us to help them keep HOLLERING and SHOUTING and BELIEVING (we will get the other "animals" attention; the College World Series appearance is a good start); and they will appreciate the significance of the "dust speck". Always remember WE NEED YOU to continue to help and support us on this journey.
At the end of every practice, we break the team huddle by saying "US" -- and US means all of US -- players, coaches, fans, parents, family members, cousins, next door neighbors, high school & summer ball coaches and teammates, friends, the university, the student body, the Acadiana community, Cajun alumuni, former Lady Cajun players and family, sponsors -- all of US.
Geaux CAJUNS!
O.K. -- ready for a break -- 1, 2, 3 "US". Thank-you for being on our team! Thank-you for hearing our "WHO"!
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
