Spring Break
Smith making KC 'home sweet home'
Meredith Smith
Dan Stroud
Issue date: 1/22/07 Section: Sports
- < prev Page 2 of 2
Sarah Fekete, who excelled at Tennessee during her career and won the 2006 NCAA Division I Softball Batting Championship, was in town for a softball skills camp at UMKC. She had high praise for Smith.
"She knows how things are supposed to go, how they are supposed to be done," said Fekete. "Not only is she a great coach, but she's a great person. If there was something I needed [at Tennessee], I knew Meredith would have the answer."
The new coach grasped perhaps the most glaring correction needed in turning the UMKC program around.
"The first thing that needed to be changed when I got here was the desire to win … the expectation to win," said Smith. "To be able to practice knowing that you will get better and perform at a high level on the field; it's really a whole mental aspect."
Her program revolves around discipline. There's no room for slackers on the field. This hard-nosed approach doesn't discourage players. Senior second baseman Kylie Williamson said the team has embraced these changes whole-heartedly.
"Coach Smith has come into the program and shown us that she's willing to fight for us," said Williamson. "She cares about us on and off the field."
When asked to give an example of her coach's perceived devotion, Williamson offers this example. "If we buy food and bring it to her house she will cook it for us, and she's a good cook."
When asked about the possibilities for her inaugural season at the helm of the Kangaroo squad, the coach doesn't pull any punches.
"I expect to go to tournament this year," said Smith. "I told the girls we only have one opportunity to be the big surprise, and this is that opportunity." The top four teams in the Mid-Continent Conference at the end of the season play for the championship.
There is one troubling aspect to Smith's coaching style. On the return trip after a loss to the University of Kansas, the team was forced to sing "Rocky Top," known to most outside of the state as the overused Tennessee fight song.
"I made them sing it just because they hate it so bad," said Smith. "It puts me in the mood to go out and kick somebody's butt. I love 'Rocky Top.'"
dstroud@unews.com
"She knows how things are supposed to go, how they are supposed to be done," said Fekete. "Not only is she a great coach, but she's a great person. If there was something I needed [at Tennessee], I knew Meredith would have the answer."
The new coach grasped perhaps the most glaring correction needed in turning the UMKC program around.
"The first thing that needed to be changed when I got here was the desire to win … the expectation to win," said Smith. "To be able to practice knowing that you will get better and perform at a high level on the field; it's really a whole mental aspect."
Her program revolves around discipline. There's no room for slackers on the field. This hard-nosed approach doesn't discourage players. Senior second baseman Kylie Williamson said the team has embraced these changes whole-heartedly.
"Coach Smith has come into the program and shown us that she's willing to fight for us," said Williamson. "She cares about us on and off the field."
When asked to give an example of her coach's perceived devotion, Williamson offers this example. "If we buy food and bring it to her house she will cook it for us, and she's a good cook."
When asked about the possibilities for her inaugural season at the helm of the Kangaroo squad, the coach doesn't pull any punches.
"I expect to go to tournament this year," said Smith. "I told the girls we only have one opportunity to be the big surprise, and this is that opportunity." The top four teams in the Mid-Continent Conference at the end of the season play for the championship.
There is one troubling aspect to Smith's coaching style. On the return trip after a loss to the University of Kansas, the team was forced to sing "Rocky Top," known to most outside of the state as the overused Tennessee fight song.
"I made them sing it just because they hate it so bad," said Smith. "It puts me in the mood to go out and kick somebody's butt. I love 'Rocky Top.'"
dstroud@unews.com
Be the first to comment on this story