05 STATE CHAMPS!  Congratulations to Coach Mark Hickman, his staff of assistant coaches and all the varsity softball players!

I'm sure most of you in the SCA family are aware that our girls won the State Softball Championship in thrilling fashion by defeating Tucson Pusch Ridge Christian in extra innings on Friday night at ASU.  Way to go girls!

I wanted to briefly give you the rest of the story.  Just 5 years ago we did not have enough girls interested in softball to even field a  team.  In the spring of 2001 we had to cancel our season.  One of our better players asked to try out for the baseball team since there was not a softball team.  She made the baseball team and did quite well.  More importantly, that player and a set of coaches, led by Mark Hickman and Chris Lyding did not let short-term disappointment abort long-term vision.  These individuals invested in our girls at the Junior High level, involved themselves with local softball organizations, constantly sold their vision to our students, proposed and worked with the athletics and facility offices to create great home-field environment (under the lights) and built a program we can all be proud of.

Friday night's Championship culminates a five-year quest in which our softball program, in true Horatio Alger fashion, went from "Rags to Riches."

At SCA we do not do athletics simply to have fun, and to win though having fun and winning are great things.  Rather, at SCA,  athletics is a laboratory for young people to learn life lessons in a distinctively Christian setting.  Here there were many lessons learned not only Friday night but step-by-step over the past four seasons.  These are chief among them:

Endurance v. "giving up" (Galatians 6:9) Our coaches and girls battled through the hard times to get to a sports promised land.

Determination v. "faintheartedness" (II Timothy 4:7-8) Purposing to accomplish God's goals in God's time regardless of opposition.

Competitive Greatness - "Being at your best when your best is needed."

I hope the entire school family will take joy not only in the accomplishments of the girls but these vital life lessons they have learned and modeled to their classmates and teachers. 

To God be the Glory! ( see James 1:17)

Links:

Arizona Republic Article  (PDF version)

Scottsdale Christian Again - Arizona Republic Article

Scottsdale Christian softball advances to third title game - East Valley Tribune