Coach Crandell stepped away from High school coaching last week after 14 years with the Hendersonville Commandos.
The End of an Era
Good coaches quietly make a player love the game without saying it. They quietly dedicate their time and effort into bringing their passion to others. And, the very best coaches somehow manage to teach players about life as well as the game. Many players can say that they’ve had one good coach. Some can say that they have never had a good coach at all. Fewer still can say that their parent was that great coach. My father has been coaching me in softball since I was eleven years old, so it didn’t seem like that big of a deal for me when he began coaching high school softball my freshman year. In fact, he had been coaching half of the high school team since we were twelve or thirteen years old; it made no difference to us that we were now wearing black and gold instead of red and blue. In actuality, it made all of the difference in the world.
Pride cannot be taught overnight. Fire and Smoke started as a little travel team made entirely of Hendersonville league players. We were small and under-experienced. Twelve was our age. It was also the number of games lost before we won our first. Out of the blue, we won our first tournament championship. We slowly believed in our community, our school, our team, and ourselves. That year, we played through the state tournament undefeated only to be beat in the finals twice by the Goodlettsville Storm. Coach Crandell told us that we had to learn how to win. How true that was. From then on, we hated being beat, especially by anyone from anyone down the road. As we got older, we still hated being beat, by anyone at all. In high school, rivals were born between schools “down the road†as well. In the summer, when some of us played together, we were all about our community, regardless of the school. Even though we fought hard against each other during high school and sometimes travel ball, we came to respect each other as players and people, no matter if we were Commandos, Cavaliers, Green Wave, Raiders, or Buccaneers.
Coach Crandell’s passion oozes out of every pore. Anyone close to a field while he’s on it can see it. It is infectious and, when playing for him, it made us want every game like he wanted it. In a time when players can be selfish in this sport, we wanted something more. We wanted to support each other. We wanted to win for each other. We wanted to win for Coach.
Winning certainly is not everything, but we certainly won a lot of games. In travel ball we had many tournament titles, several state championships and one World Series Championship. In high school, we had the best record the school ever had in 2000 and two state tournament appearances. There was something magical about that team and I refuse to believe it was only the players. There were many hard fought battles during Coach Crandell’s tenure, both in summer and in high school. We would be utterly disappointed with a loss, but he found a way to make it bearable. That’s not to say we never needed a good chewing out. When we needed it, we certainly got it (at least once per season, both high school and travel). No matter what, he told us to keep our heads high, that we fought hard, and we displayed class and character. If we were anything, we were respectful and treated each other, coaches, other teams, and umpires with class no matter where we were or who we were playing. I have always been proud of that.
Even as life has taken each of us different ways, we continue to keep in touch and live the lessons that dad taught us on the field. They can be illustrated in his very distinct “Chickisms†that everyone who has ever played for or against Coach Crandell will recognize. “Put a tent over this circus,†is one that I use frequently, both on the field and in the classroom. Nobody can say it quite like he does though.
It was from Coach Crandell that we learned Pride, Hard Work, Determination, Passion, and that Yes, Softball is supposed to be Fun. I now coach. I strive to be the coach that my father is. I am sad to see him walk away this year. It’s not that I am sad for him, but I am sad for all of the athletes that won’t have him. He is the kind of man that can coach anything in the world and be successful. He doesn’t just coach softball, he coaches the athletes and that goes a long way in any facet. He still truly teaches the game instead of just putting together the best lineup. It goes without saying that I am proud to be his daughter. But, just as important, I am very proud to have been a player of his. Good news is that I will see him at a lot more Ravenwood games this year. I can’t quite master, “It sounds like a funeral home out there!†And, he always brings good softball mojo.
Kari Crandell Akin
