We caught up with Mid-Atlantic Shockers 12U Coach Mike Gaylor to hear how he uses our HiCast Sports Network and to find out how his team is staying prepared despite the disappointing pause on play due to the COVID-19 virus sweeping across the country. Here’s what he had to share:
Tell us about your Mid Atlantic Shockers 12U team.
“I put this team together when the kids were 8 years old. I went around to all of the surrounding little leagues within a 40-mile circle. I looked at a whole bunch of kids and put together a dream team. I’ve had them all together for four years now. We’re rated in the east coast as one of the top teams. Last year at 11U, we went 49-3 with 79 home runs which is pretty amazing for a group of 11 year old kids. We have a good team of 12 kids, and a great parent base. We’re all a family – especially when you’ve been together that long.”
How have you used our HiCast Sports Network?
“We play at Sports at the Beach a lot where we play a lot of highly competitive teams from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. When we’re at the game, as a coach we’re seeing it, but we can’t really study it. So after a tournament, I use HiCast to go back and look for things that we did correctly so I can praise the kids and also see what we did wrong.
Johnny Hobgood's first home run of the 2019 Fall Season for Mid-Atlantic Shockers 12U at Sports at the Beach
When our kids hit a home run or make a great catch or something like that, my bookkeeper jots down the time during the game so I can go back to watch the game on-demand and get the highlight.” Mike adds with a laugh, “I would be lying if I said I didn’t use it to watch other teams too.”
Spencer Gaylor's home run blooper for Mid-Atlantic Shockers during their 10U season, shared by his dad, Coach Mike Gaylor from Sports at the Beach
“I think HiCast is a great thing. I have a very good team and it’s hard to tell when one of our kids is going to do something spectacular. If we didn’t have HiCast, I would be missing out on a lot of things. Our parents would too.”
How are you and your team working through this challenging time?
“It was definitely a let-down for us. We were actually all signed up to go to Cooperstown this year. Last Friday, we were informed that Cooperstown was shut down for the whole season, which was definitely a blow to my kids and the families. It hurts because we were actually looking forward to making a good showing. The best a team has done in our organization at Cooperstown was second place, which was great, but I felt like we had a team that could win Cooperstown.”
Coach Mike is sending exercises and lessons to parents for his players weekly. “The luxury of us being together so long is that our parents and kids know what I expect and they all do it. Parents are sending me videos, showing me that the kids are still working to get better and the kids can see each other’s videos, so it’s competitive. Like I explained to the kids, when this breaks and we are able to start playing again, I want to go out on the field like we haven’t missed a beat.”
What words of encouragement would you like to share with ballplayers everywhere?
“Don’t give up on your dream. This is just a setback. Keep grinding. Something I always say to my kids throughout each game and all season long is that there are two things you can control… attitude and hustle. Keep practicing your craft. Have in your mind that there is always someone else out there working harder to get better. Don’t let ‘em take your spot.”
Big thanks to Coach Mike Gaylor and Coach Blair Boyce for their hard work on and off the field; to team mom Monica Edelmann for keeping families connected, and to the 12U Mid-Atlantic Shockers players: Jace Jarmon, Spencer Gaylor, Blake Bramble , Caleb Boyce , KD Tindley, Mason Edelmann, Ayden McCauley, Kobe Tindley, Ray Joseph,Johnny Hobgood, Kam Mister, Tony Martin for your commitment to your team and the game, especially during this challenging time. We can’t wait to see you back on the fields at Sports at the Beach!
Photos courtesy of Mid-Atlantic Shockers