The Miken Elite girls softball team is relatively new, but they are already competing at a high level. After just one season, the squad from Rocklin, CA is a force to be reckoned with each time they don their fiery red and electric blue jerseys. Miken Elite's rapid success is due in large part to Derek Harris, our Coach of the Week.
Coach Harris, along with his Assistant Coach Ed Rodriguez, realized that success on the field of play stems directly from work done in practice. It is for this reason that Coach Harris placed detailed plans for each workout on Weplay, so that his athletes could prepare for every practice. He also showed originality when naming his team. Rather than any run-of-the-mill name, he opted for the anagram ELITE. The letters in the team name stand for: EFFORT, LEADERSHIP, INTENSITY, TEAMWORK, and EXCELLENCE.
Coach Harris, 36, is a devoted husband and father of three girls, one of whom is a member of Miken Elite. He has been in the trucking and construction industries for the last 13 years, and his experiences have made him quite the prudent leader. This is most evident upon hearing Coach’s mantra: Winning and losing on the field is never as important as being the best athlete and person you can be; both on and off the field. That is certainly something that we all can agree on, Coach.
Coach Harris’ Keys to Success:
-Don’t be over-concerned with Winning/Losing
-Inspire Athletes to Challenge Themselves
-Provide Positive Reinforcement
-Encourage Athletes to Constantly Improve
-Inspire Athletes to do well both on AND off the field
