Dierks' idea promotes pals, and players, for Geneva
With high school coaches not just concerned with how their current teams are doing but also keeping an eye toward future success, you've got to give Geneva softball coach Greg Dierks credit for a great idea.
Dierks said he has always had a good relationship with the Foxes, the youth softball program in Geneva that many of the current Vikings varsity players once played in.
About eight years ago, Dierks started a pen pal program. Each of his varsity players at Geneva would be paired with a 10-year-old member of the Foxes, and the two would write each other during the season.
It turned out to be a win-win idea. Reading letters (or more often these days e-mails) from older players helped create more interest in softball for those 10-year-olds. They heard from athletes they looked up to and often found role models to encourage them to continue playing softball.
In turn, the Foxes often come watch Geneva play, giving the Vikings varsity team someone besides their parents or high school friends cheering on their big hit or diving catch.
"It's kind of cool having these girls look up to us," Geneva senior Dori Rogers said. "I can speak for all of us - it's kind of a fun thing to have fans at our games. It's funny to think we were that little one time just starting out too."
Rogers has come full circle. When she was a 10-year-old, her pen pals included Erin Ruitenberg.
"When I was 10 I was real excited about it," Rogers said. "It was my first year playing. I'd always come and watch many high school events so it was cool that I knew people playing in the game.
"They would tell me about themselves and the positions they play and how they did in the games that week and what they had coming up and encourage me to come watch and thanked me for coming when I did go."
That was the kind of relationships Dierks wanted to see develop.
"I have always found that my team has gotten a kick out of it," Dierks said. "I hope they (the 10s) learn to enjoy the game more by being there and maybe then can learn some things as well."
Dierks can see the firsthand benefits this year now that his daughter Ali is a 10-year-old who is pen pals with Rogers.
"It's very fun," Ali Dierks said. "When we e-mail each other we talk about what games they have or if we have any games or what position we play. She (Rogers) tells me more about softball, she encourages me."
"I can see the excitement from the other side," Greg said of Ali's reactions. "She loves it and all the girls on the 10-U team are having a good time with it. One benefit I am sure of is that we get more 10-U players watching our games than ever before."
It's easy to see what a positive effect the older varsity players have on the younger kids.
Kyla Chanier, another of the 10-year-olds, is pen pals with Nikki Davis.
"We usually just talk about the next game, see if I could make it there, seeing what is up usually," Chanier said. "It is really exciting. I learn a lot. I learn from their mistakes and what they do."
Megan White, pen pals with both Deirdre Phalon and Katelynn Navigato, was excited when the varsity players "wished me happy birthday."
The relationship can help the younger players improve their games. Dierks said he often tries to pair a varsity player with a 10-year-old that both play the same position or bat left-handed or have something else in common.
Ten-year-old Grace Keegan is pen pals with Rachel Hunter.
"It's fun, I like e-mailing them back and forth," Keegan said. "She teaches me things over e-mail and it's fun and sometimes I go to their games and learn stuff."
Before long, Keegan might be the one teaching the next generation of Geneva softball player, just as Rogers finds herself doing now.
She's certainly glad Dierks started building these connections between the two teams.
"It made me excited to continue playing, to see how much fun they were having," Rogers said. "Even though they were 7 years older than I was it was still fun for them, and it encouraged me to keep playing as well."
jlemon@dailyherald.com