Bill Meade coaches the Boys 👦 Tennis 🎾 team at Staunton High School 🏫 and it’s always refreshing to hear from our long time. Friend and this morning he told a fun story about his teams match at Rockbridge High School.
Early season schedule 📅
His team was playing down in Lexington at Rockbridge County High School.
They dropped their previous match 5-4 at Alleghany High School a few days earlier and were locked 🔒 into another close battle with RCHS.
The match was all square at 4-4, and the deciding set was as back and forth as one could play. Eventually, it became too dark for the Student Athletes to see the ball , and neither team brought their glow in the dark balls, so the match was halted.
Que the famous Tom Hanks line in the movie, A League of Their Own –
Are you tying ?, There’s no tying in Tennis!!!
The match will be resumed when the two teams meet up later in the season at Mary Baldwin.
It is always great to converse with a Man 👨 who identifies with so many things that we hold near and dear to our efforts !
Thank you, Coach, for giving of your time and effort to lead our youth !
I have been Blessed 🙌 to have quite a few next level individuals placed in my path over the decades. Dr. T. Ramon Stuart sits incredibly high on that list.
The distinguished Gentleman is the President of West Virginia Tech University and does a tremendous job for the Student Body in Beckley, West Virginia. His background and mine has some similarities in regards to our humble upbringings but this young Man took his game and love for Education and took it to a different level if not universe.
Everything is life is a bit more of a challenge due to health issues, especially when it comes to traveling. So on Tuesday morning, when it was time to head towards Charleston, I had to pad the window by a couple of hours to allow for a Rest Area nap along the way.
Fast Forward to arriving in Beckley, where the campus is located. Our games that day were being played one hour further North so I parked the car and decided a long walk across the campus might be the best way to wake up and get the blood flowing.
We don’t play baseball on campus so its very rare for me to take in the sights and sounds of the small grounds so I was taking it all in. It was just about time to get back in the Car 🚗 and head up the turnpike for the games.
Then, I was startled by a voice that came out of nowhere. To clarify my relationship with West Virginia Tech University, I announce for the Baseball team, write ✍ for them and do my very best to help my long time friend, Lawrence Nesselrodt keep the Train 🚆 on the tracks.
For 18 years now, we team up with the Legendary Joe Goddard and try to guide young Men through a key 🔑 part of their life. It’s not just about Baseball, at least not at Tech.
Not an Alumni, Not a Big Booster, but hey, I do have a nice title for my volunteer position. I’m the Director of Baseball Operations which sounds Awesome but I’m a small pebble in the pond that is WVU-T.
The voice calling out to me was that of Dr. Stuart. It might have been the cane or the odd gate that allowed him to spot me from 50 feet away while he was greeting a Student at the front door to his office.
We have had previous conversations since the took the title of President but this one was different because seeing the humility that this Man has while doing a very difficult job impressed me even more.
The task that day was to hand sign a certificate for each and every Student who made the Presidents List. The next step was his Staff would take a Photo 📷 of the Student and Dr. Stuart, much like the one above where I had the privilege of standing next to him.
We went on to Charleston and played baseball ⚾️ for five hours and split a double header with West Virginia Wesleyan. Afterwards, I would set a new record for the closest Hotel 🏨 I have needed to stop at in regards to miles from our home. Forty Five miles for those of you scoring along.
I ended up with a few keepsakes out of the 15 minutes we spent together but the lasting impact came in the acknowledgment from someone who I have a Coal Truck full of respect for.
If you have an opportunity to take a moment or two, one never knows what it might do to lift the spirits of the person who you are sharing the time with.
Yesterday afternoon, as I was finishing up a conversation with Track Coach Shawn Montgomery, I was headed back to my car and head back to Laurel Fork at the end of two very long days. Just short of reaching the car, I crossed paths with two sharp looking young people.
Isaiah Easter was walking across campus with Ali Wright. Two young Student Athletes that enjoy spending time together and this led to an opportunity to have a conversation with them.
I believe that I have written pretty much everything I going to write ✍ about the youngest of the Easter children and the next time Ali will play for the School is Volleyball next fall. Not to say that the brief exchange with the two left the impression with them that my time with the President did but I would like to think it mattered.
Life happens FAST and people stay busy but try hard to never be too busy to show kindness to others and not just when its to your benefit.
I think this one brings me to within one of being caught up !!!
The highlight of the drive was an exchange with Travis Osborne and now there is getting together tomorrow to look forward to!
Year 18 here at West Virginia Tech University Baseball is well underway and the team has won three of four heading into today.
By normal standards, the changes for today are minor in nature as the park remains the same and the opposition is the same. The lone difference being instead of playing one nine inning game we will play a pair of 7 inning affairs starting at 3pm.
What triggers a relationship / partnership that is closing in on two full decades ? An opportunity to work with someone who takes what they do every bit as serious as myself. Those things are truly hard to find.
Golden Bears 🐻 Baseball ⚾️ is about Family 👪 and the drive for the absolute best you can be in everything you do !
Today I will have the opportunity 🙏 to work with a young Man who has an interest in learning more about how to frame a ballgame with a 🎤🎙🎤 and Skipper will try and Win one or two on his side of the White Lines.
West Virginia Wesleyan is there to poke the Bear 🐻 and we are up to the challenge !!!
Such a pretty Ballpark !
There are some ties 👔 between the Golden Bears 🐻 and the WV Hall of Fame !
4 Giants in the industry !!
First Pitch 3:01, Game Time temp 77°
Play ▶️ Ball !!!!
Championship Flags from my youth when the Tidewater Tides were my 🏡 team.
After 1st, Bobcats lead 3-1
Bottom 4th, we are down 4-2
2:27 minutes, Bobcats 5, Golden Bears 🐻 2
Top 3rd – Golden Bears 🐻 lead 6-1
81° First Pitch, 6 : 01 pm
Middle of the 4th, Golden Bears 🐻 6-1….
Night has fallen as the clock ⏰ ticks toward 8pm…..
Golden Bears 🐻 12, Bobcats 1, Bottom 5th
8:11 pm – Final out recorded in our 12-1 victory. Just over seven hours after we arrived we are finished playing !!!
12 High School teams in the Spring ➕ my responsibilities with West Virginia Tech University Baseball ⚾️ ➕ Dakota Walls Racing ➕ Vickey Ritchie and our Special Olympics Basketball program.
That makes it 15 before you add on anything else from the Area, the Duke Women have a minimum of 1 and a maximum of six games remaining and we have tickets 🎟 for each one.
Still hoping 🙏 that Alyssa Ervin and Furman University will have one more opportunity to lace up the sneakers 👟 this season but we won’t find out for another week yet.
Tonight wraps up the MACC competition and I’m looking forward to interacting with Kristy Jones one more time on that.
The three ways that I can make life better for someone is A. Using my space to help promote their efforts. B. Using my imagination to create a story for them C. Use my voice to announce an event.
I’ve come up short on the ultimate Goal of creating a safe space outside of Social Media where a person can click on and read only positive words about the subjects listed above. Didn’t get there but that doesn’t mean that you stop trying hard to support those who wish to be supported.
Tomorrow afternoon will be a great example for me to use as a fork in the road example – Coach Nester is hosting a scrimmage versus George Wythe at Cavalier Park. But its my understanding that you cannot announce during a scrimmage so does that mean going to Charleston, West Virginia Tomorrow for the Golden Bears double header make more sense ?
But its Charleston and not Beckley so its a 6 hour loop versus a four hour loop….
So just know that our goal remains to enjoy where we live, love thy neighbor and lend out the Skill set as often as possible.
If you like what you read here, tell a friend or two.. If not, then its easy enough to avoid.
Thanks for reading 📚 and Go Cavaliers, Go Golden Bears, Go Special Olympics Basketball 🏀 and Go Kira Lawson & Duke !
A.S.P.N on The Hill 