Editor’s note: I first met Gerry Quinn of the Illinois Chill program in 2007 when I was doing a write-up on his daughter, Kelly, who went on to be a four-year starter and earn Academic All-Big Ten honors at Northwestern.  Gerry was articulate and well-spoken about the state of softball—not surprisingly as he’s a lawyer by trade (one of the “good” ones, I think!).  We reconnected at PGF this year and he shared some insightful perspectives we thought worth sharing.  I asked him if he’d answer some questions about the Chill and softball in general and he graciously agreed… here are Gerry’s well-thought-out opinions…

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Student Sports Softball: Tell us how you got into coaching softball and how the Illinois Chill got started…
Gary Quinn: I started the Chill in the fall of 1998 as a 12U team. At that time we were completely on our own, there were no other Chill teams. We had a great season on the field but half the team quit because I think they realized I was aiming the program to a higher level than they would eventually aspire to.  We were fortunate to survive into year two. It has been a steady ascent for us ever since.

Like many, I got started coaching softball because I had daughters who were starting out as travel softball players. Prior to coaching my kids in softball, I had prior experience coaching junior high, club and high school basketball, both boys and girls. I come from a family of coaches so it was inevitable I was going to be coaching something. I was fortunate that I was able to combine my love for coaching with the raising of my children.  It is also fortunate that my wife has been an avid supporter of the program and participant in the process the last 15 years. This sport is so time consuming that if a family member is not on board it is much more difficult and a lot less fun.

Once my kids finished I had sunk so much time and effort into building things that I could not walk away. I truly love and appreciate the players I get to work with. My feelings in that regard just continue to grow as I get older. I have such respect for their investment in the sport and what they have to sacrifice to reach their desired level of competence. I enjoy helping them with the process of skill development and helping them find a place to play in college.

 

SSS: How big is the Chill organization and what are some of the major accomplishments?
GQ: We are a relatively small organization and likely will remain that way. This is the way I like it because in a small organization there are less moving parts to keep track of. Only people that I trust implicitly get to run teams for the Chill, which keeps us from growing too large. We try to make sure each team we have can deliver a quality experience to its players. This past summer we had three Chill 18U teams and one Chill 16U team. Each team was successful in its own right and offers outstanding recruiting exposure to its players.

The 16s coached by Glen Nelson were new this past year. I, along with Glen, started the 16U team from scratch so that we can have a group of kids we are training consistently that can hopefully fill spots on the 18U teams somewhere down the line. They had a great year qualifying for PGF Nationals and holding their own there. My 18U team finished 9th at Boulder this year and had a pair of 17th place finishes at PGF in 2010 and 2012. Our two other 18U teams coached by Pat Morris and Brian Edwards had top 20 finishes at the Colorado Fireworks tournament in July. I think we have demonstrated that we are going to consistently compete well at a national level.

What I and the two other 18U coaches are most proud of is the incredibly bright group of kids we have had play for us. The list of colleges our kids have played at, and are playing at, is incredible. In the recently graduated 2013 class, in addition to nine other girls who will go on to play college softball, we will have one girl playing at each of Northwestern, Yale, Amherst College and Williams College. Northwestern and Yale are Top 10 universities and Amherst and Williams are usually ranked one-two in the country’s Top 10 Colleges.

Counting our two 2014 verbals to Northwestern, we will have nine kids who have gone (or are going) to Northwestern since 2005. In addition, three at Dartmouth, two at Cornell, three to Georgetown, two at Yale, etc. and a number who have gone to top notch D3 academic schools like Washington Univ., St. Louis, Middlebury College, Smith College, etc.

The college coaches know that when they recruit our kids they are generally going to get a pretty exceptional student.  It is very comforting to know that a lot of our girls are going to schools that can help them compete after graduation in an increasingly challenging economy.

 

SSS: What is it you look for in a player when considering if she should be part of your organization?
GQ: We are looking for a combination of academics, humility, family support, and athleticism. We want to be a program that colleges can recruit from so athleticism is a big thing. We always measure arm strength, foot speed, etc. before we roster players. There are certain benchmarks kids need to have physically to facilitate their recruitment. We try to make sure they possess that before we put them on the team or that they are at least very close to the necessary benchmarks with a realistic chance to reach them with a little time and training.

Even with the necessary athleticism, I have no patience for kids (or parents) who mouth off. Also, if a kid is struggling in school academically or has questionable personal habits I generally will avoid them. Life is too short and there are too many good players out there to waste your time on people who have and cause problems.  I also prefer players who understand improving your game is about adjusting to an ever-increasing level of competition.  I want players who are not afraid to admit their weaknesses and have the resilience to address them head-on.

 

SSS: How do you think club softball has changed, for the good and bad, in the last 5-10 years?
GQ: First, on the good side, here in the Midwest area the level of play has improved tremendously. There are many, many more D1 ready players coming out of the Chicago and Midwest areas than there were 10 years ago. That is attributable to a number of things, most notably:  (a) more indoor training facilities; (b) a greater emphasis in specialization in youth sports in general; (c) more kids taking private hitting, pitching and fielding lessons; and (d) Midwest club programs taking their kids to compete in national venues on a more regular basis. The better Midwest teams are generally faring well in most national events these days.

On the bad side, there is such a huge emphasis on recruiting these days that a lot of kids and families are defining their success through college scholarships rather than simply enjoying the relationships and the time spent with teammates and family. More so than ever, playing club ball is looked at by many families as a financial investment that needs to yield a certain result (scholarship) or it is considered a failure. It creates a lot of pressure on the kids and, to some degree, robs them of the simple joy of competing and can sometimes de-emphasize the concepts of team play. However, with the “good” mentioned above also comes some of the “bad” I refer to.

 

SSS: What are the most pressing issues facing the sport today?
GQ: People’s opinions probably vary on this topic, but I am concerned about the continuing acceleration of the recruiting timeline for the more exceptional young players. Colleges are starting to offer some eighth graders scholarships and certainly offering high school freshman has become much more common place.

I can’t find anyone on either side who thinks that this is really a good way to go about the business of colleges selecting players and players selecting colleges, but I am not aware of any group looking for meaningful ways to curtail it.

Choice of college can be a life changing decision.  I feel better when a 17 year old is making that decision than a 15 year old.  However, a family making an early affirmative decision on a generous scholarship offer can hopefully allow them to secure a promise for funding a very expensive college education. Therefore, if that is where the market is right now, part of my role is to make sure our kids compete for these early offers and accept them when the fit appears to be good. Still, it can be annoying to have parents of seventh graders asking you what showcase events you plan to go to.

 

SSS: We saw the Beverly Bandits from Chicago win the PGF 16U National Title while the 18U and 14U were won by California teams… is the rest of the nation closing the gap or is California teams and players still the much better?
GQ: I think it is safe to say that teams from all parts of the country are competing on a much more level plane with the West Coast teams than they were 10 years ago. California will always have more good softball players than anyone else does. They have the biggest population, the best weather, and a long-established girls fastpitch infrastructure and culture.

However, I believe the rest of the country has done a good job of “demystifying” the experience of playing California teams.  Teams outside of California have started to compete against the California teams more often on a year-round basis. The more you see teams, the less super human they seem. You get a chance to scout them and make some adjustments. That’s a little different than seeing them once a year and trying to beat them.

The Midwest kids have a lot more confidence when they take the field against the California teams than they used to. Also, a lot of the stronger Midwest programs are starting to draw kids from a wider geographic area, which allows them to end up with a more exceptional talent base for their roster.

Ten years ago a lot of the club teams from our area consisted only of kids who lived within 10 miles of where you practiced. My 18U team in this coming year will have kids from four different states. That being said, the best California teams are still great, still are regularly winning national titles, and still have top flight coaching and talent. It is just a more competitive environment nationally and hence a lot more interesting for all of us I think.

 

SSS: If you could change one thing about club softball today, what would it be?
GQ: As I mentioned earlier, the early recruiting is something I would like to see curtailed in some manner or another so I won’t mention that again.

A different concern would be the ever increasing cost of participating in the sport. A lot of people have figured out they can make a tidy sum running club programs, tournaments, instructional facilities, etc.   All of our coaches choose to donate their time and it can be a little frustrating to see so many people trying to constantly take money out of the system at the expense of families pursuing their dreams.

Tournament entry fees are pretty crazy these days and almost everyone is looking for their money 12 months in advance. For those of us operating on tight annual budget cycles it is a challenge to fund everything a year in advance. The sport has become an all-consuming year round effort for the more competitive programs and can require a substantial financial investment by the participants.

 

SSS: What’s ahead of you and the Chill in the next few months?
GQ: We will be working with our new rosters, beginning Fall practices, and then swing into the Fall recruiting season full blast come October. The Fall season has become a huge piece of the recruiting process.  The kids need to stay sharp and be prepared to play just about every weekend in front of college coaches. We will be playing the major Midwest recruiting events in October and then finish at the Sun Classic in Orlando, Fla. in November.