We believe there’s something more important than just winning or losing a tournament. We believe that the team, school, and fans who support their athletes with dignity and class are the true champions. That’s why we’ve proudly sponsored the WIAA/Rural Mutual Insurance Sportsmanship Award for 56 years.
We would like to congratulate Baldwin-Woodville on being this year’s recipient of the Girls Softball Sportsmanship award.
When talking with Head Coach, Tim Klatt, we asked him what this award meant to him as a coach, the team and community along with how they teach their athletes about sportsmanship.
Being selected as the recipient of the Rural Mutual Sportsmanship Award for Softball is very special for a number of reasons. From practice #1, our coaching staff focused on “family” and “respect” and we shared those expectations with the girls. The support that the players showed for one another was certainly special. Every team goes through adversity at some point. How teams handle adversity will oftentimes determine the outcome in a particular situation or game. It’s gratifying to see that support on and off the field. The girls did a great job of celebrating one another’s successes as well as supporting each other when someone was down.
Sports are special. They teach so much more than the game itself. In sports as in life, there will be successes and failures. Without failure and learning from it, one can’t grow. We challenged our girls throughout the season, on and off the field. It started with that first practice…being a good teammate. Watching each of them grow over the course of the season, the friendships developed or made stronger was such a great sight. I believe our team understood the importance and how it related to our success. With that understanding of support and empathy for one another, they showed an appreciation and respect for their teammates, opponents and the game.
Coaches and players are just a part of the sportsmanship that is displayed. The communities of Baldwin and Woodville showed such great support throughout the season. The players and coaches certainly appreciated the words of encouragement in the stores or on the streets, the familiar faces in the stands and the pride displayed during the tournament run. At the time, we were certainly disappointed that the goal of a State Championship wasn’t achieved. What I wasn’t disappointed about was the passion that the girls played with, the fight they had and the emotions they shared with teammates, family and friends. Winning this award is something that the Baldwin-Woodville community can all be proud of.
Coach Klatt has been coaching varsity softball since 2017. He coached this year’s juniors and seniors at the 10U level. Coach Klatt said, “My favorite part of coaching is watching the players grow as they become young adults. I’m fortunate as I get to see these student-athletes on so many different levels. I have them in class at the high school, I challenge them on the field and more importantly, I get to interact with them at team get togethers. It’s so enjoyable to watch the girls interact with each other outside of the classroom or competition.
Congratulation again on a great season and winning the WIAA/Rural Mutual Sportsmanship award. This is a great achievement for the Baldwin and Woodville communities.
