| January 8, 2001
He won’t give you jaw flapping, arm waving dramatics. Nor will you see him
impatiently stomp around in his coach’s box or leap from his seat in the
dugout in torture when one of his players errors.
No, you won’t witness any such theatrics from this man.
That’s just not Tim Lyon’s coaching style.
What you will get from Tim Lyon is organization and attention to detail.
And an intense, but calm leadership in the heat of battle.
Lyon, the 41-year-old head coach of the USA (fastpitch) Softball 2001 Junior Men’s national team, is seeking to bring home a World Championship
to the USA.
John Becker, head coach of the USA Men’s national team, knows Lyon quite
well. As his assistant coach, Lyon was Becker’s organizational right-hand
man during the 2000 ISF World Championship. “His strongest strengths as a
leader are definitely his organizational skills,” said Becker. “He is precise, he leaves very little to chance and his teams are well prepared…
Just how well prepared? “Tim puts together manuals for the players covering
just about everything,” said Becker. “Training materials, signals…he even
came up with a laminated cheat card for signals so that the players could study or stuff them in their pocket or hat. He charts how pitchers throw,
what pitches the other team’s hitters hit…Like I said, Tim leaves very
little to chance.
“I can guarantee you,” says Becker, “that his team will know what to expect
ahead of time from the competition.”
But this is a special world championship bout. One orchestrated every four
years that showcases the best age 19-Under fastpitch softball players in the world. And they all have the same burning desire: to claim the title as
the world’s “Number One” team.
Claiming that title is a challenge that Lyon relishes. Make no mistake,
Lyon has tunnel vision. And it’s focused on winning.
“We are going there (Sydney, Australia, April 19-29, 2001) to win a World
Championship,” said Lyon. “This is no vacation.”
With that parameter set, let’s meet this Lyon at the helm.
Q: When tryout camp opens in Chula Vista, Calif. (December 28-31) for your
27 prospects, what are you expecting from these young athletes?
A: I assume no one is ‘out of shape’. They are trying out for a once in a
lifetime chance to represent their country in a World Championship. The tryouts will be new for all of them and I am sure they will be nervous of
the unknown. It is the coach’s job to organize the tryouts so the players
can show their skills to the selection committee.
Q: What type of coach or coaching style do you have?
A: I consider myself a teacher and student of the game. I believe it’s the
coach’s role to put the players in position to do their best. The game should be about the players playing, not the coach over coaching…I have
learned a lot from the late Russell Boice (former manager of the USA Men’s
national team) and current men’s national coach, John Becker. Delegation is
very important. One person can’t do it all. You have to trust your assistants.
Q: When Team USA takes the field what attributes will you have instilled to
help them succeed?
A: We will always hustle and play as a team. We must do all the little things to win. The most talented team doesn’t always win, that is why we
play the game on the field, not on paper. I ask that they listen to the coaches and that they leave everything on the field. When we leave the
field, whether we win or lose, the other team will know that they were in a
war.
Q: How many teams will be competing in Sydney?
A: There were 11 teams in the last world tournament. I’ve been told it will
be between 10 and 16 teams.
Q: Who do you expect to be the strongest opposition?
A: Japan, Canada, Australia and New Zealand will be strong. It’s hard to
get a read because of the turnover of players each four years. It’s not like the men’s where there is hold over of players from tournament to
tournament.
Q: Reviewing the player’s resumes, what do you feel the team’s strength may be?
A: It’s tough to get a read. Everyone comes from different backgrounds as
far as coaching they’ve received and playing. We will figure out what we
have and then teach the areas we need to work on. It’s a simple game. You
catch, hit and throw the ball…the team that makes the fewest mistakes always has a good chance to win.
Q: Can this team be a catalyst to spark further development in the boy’s
and young men’s game in the U.S.?
A: This is tough. If we had more time and money, we could tour a bit and expose the game to more young men. I think it is important that in the next
cycle, we name a head coach further out and give the program more time to develop.
Q: What can these young men expect from you as a manager and coach?
A: They can expect someone who is intense, organized and fair. I will put in whatever time it takes for us to be successful. I like to be aggressive
on the field, but my coaching style will need to fit the talent I will be given.
Q: How did you get your start in fastpitch softball?
A: I grew up on dusty, dirty softball fields and learned the game from my father who was a pitcher for many seasons with the San Luis Sabres. They
played travel league in the Central Valley (Calif.) so we were always on the road somewhere playing softball. I think I played my first game at the
age of 13 as a pinch runner in some tournament.
Q: How long have you been managing and coaching?
A: I have been managing men’s teams for 23 years. I took my first coaching
assignment when I was 18 years old and never seemed to be able to let go. I
started my own team (the San Luis Obispo Bucks) in 1983. Most of my softball career has been spent in San Luis Obispo, California.
Q: If you had the power, what would you like to see changed regarding the
current direction of our sport for both the men and the boys?
A: There are so many…I will respond from a national level. First of all we
can not continue to pick national teams like an all star team. We need to start building a program and have stable leadership. The coaching staff
needs to be in place for more than six months at a time. On the Men’s side,
we have not had the same head coach for two years in a row for some time now. We need better training and scouting. There are a lot of good players
who we never get a chance to look at.
On the Junior Men’s side, we need more clinics around the country so that
we can try to expose the game to the young people. It’s a great game and
once they are exposed to it, young men and boys seem to get hooked and fall
in love with the game. This takes money and a commitment from the leadership of the National Governing Body. The current leadership
encourages me. Ron Radigonda, Pat Fleming and Ralph Weekly all Seem committed to keep us at the top.
Q: What parts of the country are doing a good job in developing young talent?
A: The Junior Men’s game seems to be centralized in Utah, Minnesota, South
Dakota and Wisconsin. I am sure there are others out there…I know that Ken
Hackmeister, Wayne Fisher, Bob Tomlinson, Wayne Hohenstein and Tom Stasik have to be given a lot of credit for keeping this game alive for this age
group.
Bob Otto
<bobotto@gte.net>
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