Since Oakleaf High School opened in 2010, the Knights have made the playoffs every year. FloSoftball ranks Oakleaf High School No. 2 in the nation and Coach Christina Thompson explains why their program has been so successful. The Knights play softball for a much greater purpose than adding to their wins record.

Coach Christina Thompson was born and raised in Clay County. Thompson went to Clay High School winning a State Championship. After high school, she continued her softball career at FAU. Coaching softball was a job that happened by coincidence. Thompson didn't coach immediately, she transitioned into a marketing job after graduating college.

Art Bellisari, father of best friend Amy Bellasari, begged Thompson to help coach at Boca Raton High School. During the middle of the season, Art passed away leaving the softball team without a coach. Thompson grew to love the team and stepped in as their coach.

After a few years of coaching and teaching, Thompson heard that Oakleaf High School was opening and starting a softball team. She jumped at the opportunity to be closer to her family and to build a program of her own.


What do you think has made Oakleaf so successful?
Honestly it’s tireless work and effort on the parts of our kids and staff. But more than anything else, my number one goal is to make them better people and softball is just a bonus. So I think in doing so it’s created this dynamic where the kids just want to do right. When you have kids that are good kids and are willing to run through a brick wall for you. It is crazy what they can accomplish. You sprinkle a little bit of talent in there and the results speak for themselves.  

Our kids are genuinely just really good kids and it’s fun to be around them. 



Were you surprised by the talent that Oakleaf brought in?  
I wasn’t privy to the talent when Oakleaf first opened. We were pretty lucky that first year we had some good talent and we grew from there. I feel like being a new community with families moving in. They started to develop an Oakleaf Association. It seemed like the talent kept trickling in year after year. 

I think we’ve also raised the bar year after year. We’ve expected my kids to reach up to that level. We’ve said, “Okay you did great, but now what else can you do?” 

What was it like when you first started the program in 2010?
It’s always stressful when you first start something. It’s always on you. What are you going to do? Especially when you’re coming back home, when you have the stipulation, well you did this (Won a State Championship) at Clay High, your dad has done this in baseball. What are you going to do? So I really wanted to build from there.

When you first start something, it’s not going to be everything you want it to be immediately. So we started building from the ground up. Making sure that our kids are consistently playing good competition and it seemed like every year the bar has been consistently raised. It’s a testament to our kids, to our staff, and really the parents and everyone involved. Everybody is in this 110%. We have 100% buy in.

What would you say is your core coaching philosophy?
My core coaching philosophy is that there is no excuse to not outwork your competition. I think that there are only a couple variables in this sport that you can control and that is your attitude and effort. Those two things I think are extremely important to the success of our team. We go out there and work hard everyday.

We know that everyday is an opportunity to get better.

What’s it like coaching with your dad and your uncles?  
Growing up with my uncle (Terry Thompson). You always love your uncle. Last year gave me the opportunity to see him as a person. It was really special to get that last year with him before he passed because there were so many things that I didn’t really know about him. He really wasn’t a guy who had much money. The things he would do to bend over backwards for the girls. Just little things like bringing them candy. I know he didn’t have any money. It was special to have that last year with him.

As far as my dad (Robert Thompson) goes, coaching with him is wonderful. We both have the same personality. I’m definitely a “father’s daughter.” We are both very driven, both very stubborn, both very driven to success. For the longest time, we would always try to compete with each other. He’s been coaching forever. I don’t how many guys he’s sent off to the major leagues. Pitchers and middle infielders that have gone off to Division 1 schools, countless kids that have gone to Florida. He’s got two final fours and I know at one point he was ranked No. 16 in the nation for baseball. It was always fun going back and forth to see which team was going to do what.

Now to have us both on staff it’s really special especially considering the kind of year we’re having right now. 

What’s the dynamic between you and your father? Do you share responsibilities?
I would never pigeon hole him (Robert Thompson) into one thing. We both do a little bit of everything. I would never deprive him in helping out in every way. It’s nice to have someone who has so much knowledge on staff. We don’t have to worry about comparing notes because I know everything I know he taught me so I don’t have to worry about that. I give him free range. As far as final decisions go, it comes down to me.

Can you tell me about Uncle Terry and his story? 
Uncle Terry (Terry Thompson) was a great baseball player growing up. He was a long lanky kid, real skinny. He was a kid that tried out for his varsity baseball team had gotten cut three years straight. He made it his senior year and he got picked up by St. John Community College. And he did well for them. But he was a guy who didn’t make it after that. And if I can say if there is ever such a thing as someone having bad luck their whole life it was him. 

It was always something. It was an injury or getting laid off from work. Something along those lines. He was a military guy but then got out of it. He never really seemed to find a break. But he never complained about it, he never showed it.

He was always willing to help somebody. I don’t know how to explain it. I feel like he was one of those guys that gave his gift of time. Anybody he interacted with he always gave his time to them. 

I think as soon as he got into coaching and that’s when he found his niche. He was actually a baseball coach over at St. John Country Day for a while. Somebody on staff wanted the job and they politely gave it to somebody else. 

So I jumped at the opportunity to get him to come help coach with me. And the girls just loved him. It was just really sad when all this happened. 

I think that’s what makes this season so much different and worth so much more. Because I feel like they want to make him proud. 

Honestly, it doesn’t matter what they do this season. They have already made him proud. Winning is just the icing on the cake.

We have a giant banner out in the middle of our outfield. Blue was his favorite color. We always say, “All for Terry” and point to the banner.   

We have a long tradition at Oakleaf of spray painting their cleats gold every year. This year they took the laces out and have gold cleats with blue laces for him. And they all have a dog tag with all of his information on it. 

Sometimes you’ll see glimpses of it before the game starts and then they’ll tuck it in their jersey. And then they’ll take it off because of the whole no jewelry rule. Just little things to commemorate him. #allforterry

What’s your approach going into the Kissimmee Classic?
We going to stick with the approach that we’ve had all year. We only think about one game at a time. We don’t think about the next game don’t think about what’s going to happen here. We focus one game at a time. Our mentality is that we’re not going to just stop no matter what. Because there have been several games this year where it’s been close and we just keep telling them we’re hitting the ball. It’s going to fall. It’s going to fall. Just keep going.

Our kids are at a point where they have zero fear in every single game. They’re happy to be there.  They want to play. It boils down to them being good kids. They’re just excited to play. There is no, “We hate the other team.” None of that. 

In fact, we celebrate our opponents. We like to play teams that have accomplishments. It’s really cool for us to say that we’re playing the No.1 ranked team in 9A. We love that.

We’re not going to change anything. We’re going to come in humble and come in hungry.