10 Keys to Championship Success

10 Keys to Championship Success
written by Darrick Brown
Head Coach, Chicago Bandits
2011 NPF World Champions

10 keys to our success this season:

1. Team chemistry - I truly believe this was a big part of our success. The veterans immediately accepted the rookies and new players from day 1. This was one of the closest teams that I have ever coached. A ton of lifelong friendships were made this summer.

2. Management - Our owner Bill Sokolis and GM Aaron Moore did a fantastic job of putting together a team full of great players and most importantly great people. Not a ton of big names but players who certainly are earning the right to be known in the future.

3. City of Rosemont/Mayor Brad Stephens/Rosemont Stadium - The 2011 season began a new era for the Chicago Bandits and most importantly a very positive move to a new location, 27 Jennie Finch Way, Rosemont, IL. Mayor Stephens and Owner Bill Sokolis moved the team to Rosemont and the city built us a 6 million dollar stadium. It could be the best stadium ever built for fastpitch softball. So when the players and I walk out on the field it is truly a honor to wear the Bandits logo.

4. The fans - I truly believe we have the greatest fans (of course I am biased) in the NPF. We had great crowds every home game. There is a very loyal following in Chicago and they expect nothing but the best. We are glad we could bring the Cowles Cup home to them! Game 1 next year will be for them. Im guessing the Cup will be present.

5. Mike Steuerwald - my assistant coach with the Bandits. Mike and I worked very well together and it was nice to have a coach on staff that has been in the league. We spent hours juggling lineups and trying to put the Bandits in the best position to win. He deserves a lot of credit for our success. Definitely found a friend for life even though he is a Packers fan.

6. Confidence of players - there was just a confidence about them. I remember players coming up to me in the first round of the Championship Series and asking me if I was nervous. My response was "a little but mostly excited". Their response was "don't worry coach, we got this, we came here to win, it's our destiny". I just think we believed in each other going in to the series. We believed we were going home champions.

7. Monica Abbott/Shannon Doepking - The pitcher and her catcher. These two are like the female version of Batman and Robin. The chemistry is amazing. Abbott, in my eyes, is the most dominating pitcher in the game today. Doepking is outstanding behind the plate and calls a great game. Keeping these two healthy for the end was key. Then in the series they went to work.

8. The rookies - Alisa Goler (rookie of year, 1st team NPF), Megan Wiggins (1st team NPF), and Danielle Zymkowitz (1st team NPF) played huge roles all season long. Typically, rookies struggle in year one but these three played like veterans. I truly believe that we have three faces of the future in our sport here in Chicago.

9. Supporting cast - A successful team needs a supporting cast. Players that may only see the field in glimpses but sit patiently waiting for their moment. We had several great ones in Robin Thompson, Lexi Jager, Christine Knauer, Kristen Shifflett, and Amanda Williams.

10. Veterans - Vicky Galindo, Monica Abbott, Tammy Williams, Caitlin Lever, Jamee Juarez, Amber Patton, and Stacy May's experience was huge. The veterans were awesome with the young players. It was a honor standing on the field with this group.

Obviously, there is more to our success. It was just a top to bottom effort from the entire organization. I want to personally thank all involved in making the 2011 summer the best for me and my family!

Q&A with Darrick…

Stacie: One thing that caught my attention in your 10 keys was the fact that team management brought together good players who were also good people. Now I've heard some coaches say, they care more about talent level than anything else because some physical capabilities you can't teach. Either players have them or they don't. I've heard others in leadership say that there's more to building a good team than talent. You must have team members who are also good people otherwise no one wants to work with them. Or no one will want to go the extra mile with them. What are your thoughts on that? When going through the process of selecting players, how important is who the person is vs just what they can do?

Darrick: I think its important to select good character players. Players who don't bring drama or attract attention to themselves. We want team first players and the management did an outstanding job this year of doing that. I think they wanted things to go easy for me in year one so they avoided any players that could have brought in drama. I certainly appreciated it! So there is definately more to it than just talent. I love the players that have something to prove, that come to the field everyday to get better, and is excited to be a professional softball player.

Stacie: In my experience, teams I've coached that had the most success also had a supporting cast that was second to none - not so much talent wise, but just in their role on the team. How much of a difference do you feel a good supporting cast makes?

Darrick: The supporting cast was huge for us! We want to bring in speed every chance we can get. So if a runner is average to slow we use a pinch runner. Also, after the 5th inning we are always thinking we need our best defensive players on the field. We just had that perfect mix of players to jump in and do that. Honestly, I love the role players. They are always loud on bench and ready to jump in and do whatever it takes to help the team win.

Stacie: I believe there's something to be said for a team that simply expects excellence. Is this something coaches helped to instill in this team or is it something they just had?

Darrick: The excellence part was very natural with this group. Abbott, Galindo, Williams, Patton, May, and Lever all had national team experience. They have a high standard of play. The experience definately rubs off on everybody else. I think practicing next to a player like Galindo or May just brings out the best in you. They are so professional in everything they do.

Stacie: Coaches often have the impression that better the players you coach, the easier your job is. There is less teaching involved. There is less of the petty drama that often goes on with young teams. Do you think that is true, or are there still "personality" issues that have to be dealt with even with a team of high caliber players?

Darrick: I think sometimes the teams with too many stars are tough to coach. Too many ME players. This was my first experience with high caliber players and this group was pretty easy to coach. We tried to get the players as many reps as possible and the weeks leading up to the end we made sure everybody was on the same page defensively. In game, we just tried to get the right people in at the right time to help us win.

Stacie: You've told us about a number of keys that attributed to your success this season, but what were some of the biggest challenges, if any, your team had to overcome during the course of the season?

Darrick: I think the biggest challenges were replacing the offense of Rachel Folden. Players like Nikki Nemitz, Alisa Goler, and Megan Wiggins stepped up in the end to do that.