How Did We Get Here? The History of Illinois Through the WCWS

I came across this amazing article yesterday about players from Illinois who are playing in the WCWS this year. There are three, count them, three pitchers! I know you are asking, “Abby, other that it being kind of cool why does this matter?” Well, read on!

Back in high school, I took a class called “Theory of Knowledge,” where we studied the nature of knowledge and how we know what we claim to know. The fancy word for this is “epistemology.” I loved that class, and as I look back, I still use what I learned from it today, 25-ish years later.

One of the projects we had to do revealed much about each person in our class and our personalities. I now realize what I found out affects how I run my business and create our programming.

One of our assignments was to pick out a model ship from a hobby store and build it by a certain date. That was pretty much all the instruction we got. It seemed fun, so I excitedly went to the mall and picked out the most beautiful, elaborate ship - one that would be the coolest of them all. The ship of all ships. I think I heard my dad say, “That looks really nice, but it might take a long time to put together.” I thought, "I just want it, and it will be SO cool when it’s done. It will be the best."

The first day or two, I worked really hard on it and was excited about it. Then, I stopped and waited until three days before the deadline, panicked, and tried to put it together really fast. With one day left, I realized I had to recruit my entire family to help me finish it on time. I had softball practice, a ton of other homework, and really underestimated how long it would take me. I really value my sleep and pretty much cannot function past 10 pm, even as a 16-year-old, so I chose to leave it unfinished on the date it was due. Even though I hated to let down my teacher and do something wrong, I had no choice; I couldn’t bring it half-finished. I brought nothing at all.

When I got to school, the teacher was super disappointed in me and said the whole point was to have it done by that date. I was the only one who did not have hers done. Everyone else had a discussion about what it was like to start and finish their model, the challenges they had, and why they chose what they did. After all that work, I missed out on the discussion, which was the best part!

My classmate Andrea was the class president. She was at “the top” in her own way. Her choice for a ship was the most basic model, very well put together, delivered on time.

Joy had a step above the basic model, had some mistakes, but she finished in the first weekend assigned.

I brought my magnificent ship to school the next day and wanted everyone to point out how cool it was and how it was the best, but no one cared; the day had come and gone for talking about the project.

When I look back I see patterns in my life that I still have. It seemed the same with the way my classmates went about their projects, too. I’m competitive, I wanted to be the best, create something beautiful, but I also have an unrealistic view of what’s possible. Yet, I’ll have it no other way. Otherwise, it’s not fun for me. I’m Ok with failing, as long as the journey is fun and challenging. If I can accomplish something I never thought I could, even if it’s not up to my expectation I’ve won. Shoot for the moon, hit the stars is what I say.

What kind of person are you? Who can you be and what can you create that goes along with your personality?

This brings me to the discovery of who I am and how I love a BHAG. I read it first in a book called Build to Last about businesses, then read it again in a book about accounting, and then I heard it a third time at a softball conference. A coach was able to win a DII National Championship because he believed his team created a BHAG, a Big Hairy Audacious Goal. This is definitely not a SMART goal. BHAGs are seemingly unattainable; they are moonshots. They put your brain on a different plane of thinking. They scare you, challenge your courage, and mainly get you excited.

I decided to make a BHAG for Practice Pro. It’s something that’s one level above our mission. It’s an idea even bigger than all the instructors at Practice Pro, our students and the parents.

Our BHAG is:

Illinois will send eight pitchers to the WCWS, one on each team, by the year 2035.

Notice that the name Practice Pro is not in this BHAG. Accomplishing this doesn’t require the pitcher to be from those who have gotten lessons from Practice Pro. We will have achieved our goal if ANYONE from Illinois goes. None of the pitchers listed in the article are from Practice Pro. One is from Downers Grove, which is in reach of players we instruct but we don’t know her. How could this be our goal if we aren’t even able to directly accomplish it?

When I started Practice Pro I noticed the gaps in our sport in this area. The competition was not as fierce as in states where it’s warmer and there is year-round play. In those states the costs are lower since they don’t have to rent indoor space, softball is a way of life and the main thing they do, and the high schools have more lenient rules on participation in travel. I’m not sure if it’s true, but I heard that pitchers from Illinois who want to play at high-level D1 colleges used to or still do move different states for high school and travel softball. That way, they can play more difficult competitions more frequently.

At our formation, I believed the solution was more competition, more players, more levels of play, and more participation overall. I saw that one of the keys was pitching. There was no way anyone could improve, have fun, or learn the game if no one could pitch a strike at the younger ages. It’s not fun and people quit when youth softball has unskilled players and no one is learning. When pitchers can pitch, hitters can hit and fielders can field everyone loves to play! It’s as simple as that.

I found that if I could teach full-time, help multiple pitchers at once, train everyone to their highest potential, and keep the costs reasonable, then we’d grow the game in the state. If more people stay in the game longer because they are playing against teams with good pitchers we’ve done our job, whether they take one “Into to Pitching” clinic or stay with Practice Pro their whole careers.

By focusing on what truly matters—the kids and their development—we aim to make a lasting impact on the sport we love. Whether our students stay with Practice Pro for their entire careers or simply take a few clinics, our mission remains the same: to grow the game and help every player become their best. Together, we can turn this audacious goal into a reality and celebrate the incredible achievements of Illinois softball players on the national stage. Now go make your own BHAG!