CRESTVIEW — Crestview High’s softball team will have the same coach in back-to-back years for the first time since 2009-2010.
Holly Gibson's return for a second season ends a revolving door of coaches the team endured since 2007. “I took the job for the girls,” the 2004 CHS graduate said. “My heart was for them … It was about them believing that someone cares about the program and cares about them
"… Nobody’s believed in them in the past. My seniors, this year, have had three different coaches. And the seniors last year had four different coaches.”
Coaching was consistent during Gibson’s playing days. Greg Brock, now a Laurel Hill School assistant principal, was her coach for four years. That was beneficial, she said, because “I had stability … It was knowing what to do when I came out here, and not having to go over every step of what we are doing (because Brock’s system was in place).”
As a coach, Gibson said, "the biggest thing was not knowing the girls. I told them this year it’s a different vibe, it’s a different feel now, because we all know each other. I know their personalities. They know my personalities. They have a respect for me. I know how to handle them.”
Gibson said she's learned much about coaching softball, namely, "it’s a lot more work than I expected. And the game has changed a lot since I played. It has become — I don’t want to say detailed, but maybe a more sophisticated game.”
She has one particular goal to help players achieve their potential. “It’s just getting them to believe they can do anything they put their minds to,” Gibson said. “Beating Niceville last year helped them believe they can do it a lot."
Having consistency in coaching helps, too.
“Now they have somebody that believes in them and knows they can do anything they put their minds to," she said.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview Bulldog softball team gains consistent coaching