I would be remiss to not share with you something that happened to me last night and the regrets of some for not attending our 40th high school reunion at Providence High School in Burbank, California. The small, private Catholic high school is next to Providence St. Joseph’s Hospital and across the street from Walt Disney Studios and the ABC lot at the 101 Freeway and Buena Vista Street.
Back in September of last year, there was a Facebook thread among our classmates (84 total students in our graduating class). Several classmates were talking about our 40-year reunion. All full of big plans about how it would look and how everyone would be there.
Silly me, I made an “impulse buy” around 11:30 pm, stating that I would take the lead and be the chairman to get this thing going. It sounded like a great idea until the next morning when my wife saw the post and said, “What the hell are you thinking?” Little did I realize that she was right.
A number of our classmates were on board, saying they would help reach out to people and how it would be great — for about two days. Then, it all died down, and I was left to decide whether or not to take it on. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I decided to take it on because everyone said they would help. Wrong.
October, November, and December rolled around — and nothing. I was so close to ditching it all, but I was given the name of the reunion coordinator at our high school (who knew we had one?), and Sheridan was instrumental in getting our location, our setup, and so many more things.
In January, I made a Facebook callout to anyone who wouldn’t mind assisting me on this project, or it would be shelved. And, not to my surprise, one of my closest classmates and friends said he would help. Then another classmate jumped in. And after seven long months of anxiety, regret, and then pure happiness, we held our reunion last evening at our high school. It was the best decision I made to bring a number of our classmates together — some we hadn’t seen since graduation in June 1983. It was spectacular!!
Many of us have amazing plans to improve ourselves on the baseball diamond and the pitching mound and drive off into the college sunset with a scholarship in hand. However, many go different routes instead of the sure and steady, and we are left wondering, “Why didn’t I do what I needed to do?”
The 4–5 classmates who all were on board in the beginning? Not one of them showed up, and a few of them were so upset this morning (the day after), having seen pictures and videos on Facebook, and they had to admit that they wished they’d been there. They definitely regret not going.
I understand life gets in the way, but seeing the posts this morning reminded me of many stories I get from players who are not playing baseball anymore and the regret they feel for not working harder or smarter. They see either a teammate or friend pitching in a big-time college game, and it becomes a soul-crushing moment where they wish they had continued working on their craft. But it was so important at the time to play video games instead. They now regret not pushing themselves to greater heights in baseball.
Throwzone Academy provides many opportunities for players to improve their skill set in arm strength, arm health, and for many, higher readings on the radar gun, which ALL colleges watch regardless of what others say. While it is definitely about the radar gun reading, it takes hard work to get the results that you and your future school want to see from you.
Our weekly classes help assist your baseball work during the week: https://throwzone.com/pitching/.
Our summer training for both of our older players: https://throwzone.com/2023-summer-velocity-enhancement-and-arm-health-camp/.
And our summer training for youth players: https://throwzone.com/2023/04/28/2023-youth-summer-training-camp-annoucement/.
All these opportunities provide vital training during a critical time. And yes, the summer training period is more important than going to showcases over and over. If you can build your skill set and stay healthy, you are much farther along toward your goal of playing at the next level than 97% of players.
Plus, the cost of summer training and classes is a FRACTION of what showcases and tournaments in Arizona or Georgia charge — without any guarantee of a return on your investment when you include travel, hotel, food, and showcase costs.
I have a very good example in two of my pitchers. Both trained with us the past two summers going into their sophomore and junior seasons. One has been with us since he was seven years old. Neither of these players went off to play showcase after showcase but trained instead with Throwzone or another incredible pair of coaches whose training aligns with ours. Both of them, this season, secured D1 college baseball scholarships WITHOUT having to spend thousands and thousands of dollars, which most people figure you need to do to get seen. They both were rewarded for their work during the summertime.
Training and development are the name of the game, and Throwzone Academy is a destination for all players to improve and get better at throwing and pitching a baseball. From our past two summer training camps, I believe at least 15 players moved on to college baseball and more afterward.
I urge you to check out what we do during the summer. Email me, or call or text and see what we can do to improve your path to greatness. Don’t be like my classmates who didn’t show up and regret not being part of a truly tremendous evening.
Don’t be like most players who live with regret regarding baseball. Get the information to make a smart decision. Training here at Throwzone Academy will be the best decision you could ever make.
I look forward to seeing both old and new players and having the time of our lives here, just like my classmates and I had at our reunion!
Until next time,
Jim
Jim Wagner's ThrowZone Academy 