Going up to the plate; getting ready to bat; getting a pep talk from her coach, all things normal for varsity softball player Ellie Lauer. However, in her special case, her coach is her father.
Lauer is a freshman and having her first experience playing varsity for Bowie. Having her dad, coach Karl Lauer right there with her along the way is something she appreciates.
“I think it’s fun to have my dad coach me especially because he coaches the same sport I play,” Ellie said. “It’s good that I get to be with him and he can help me.”
Karl sees coaching Ellie as something special to him and something he enjoys. Ellie has been in the softball world with him since she was in elementary and he has been waiting for her high school career.
“It’s extremely special to be coaching her,” Karl said. “She has grown up around the Bowie Softball program since the day she was born. It has been her dream as a little girl starting out in T-ball to be a part of the Bowie softball team.”
With Ellie being a part of Bowie’s softball team and her dad coaching, there are benefits and downsides. Ellie believes it is good to have a mixture of both.
“The benefit is that I feel more safe, like if I mess up he will still get on me but it’s less pressure,” Ellie said. “The downside is that everyone thinks I get favored because he’s my dad.”
The relationship between a child and a parent differs from the relationship between a coach and an athlete. However, on the field, Karl thinks of his daughter as just another one of his athletes.
“When we are out there, she is part of the team just like anyone else, and I treat her that way,” Karl said. “In the past when I have coached her, I have tended to be harder on her than anyone else. I feel as though I have been better about it now that she is part of the Bowie team.”
Ellie enjoys that her dad lets her be herself on the field, but this doesn’t mean he doesn’t push her. She practices in her free time with the help from her father.
“If I am sitting around and not doing anything he will tell me to go practice,” Ellie said. “If I am messing around during practice he will tell me to focus and it helps me stay on track and get better.”
According to NCSA, it is more common for freshmen to be put on JV than varsity. Junior and varsity teammate Josie Busceme backs up Ellie in earning her spot on varsity as a freshman.
“Ellie has worked very hard during this fall to earn her spot on varsity for this season,” Busceme said. “She had a high expectation from the team knowing she was an incoming freshman who was the ‘coaches kid.’”
Ellie knows she has worked for her spot on varsity. She said she is grateful for the opportunity and is excited but nervous for her first season at Bowie.
“It feels great to be on varsity, but games are definitely scary because you don’t want to let the coaches down,” Ellie said. “It’s good that there is other freshman on the team so we can experience this together.”
Busceme believes having a good relationship with their teammates is a big part of sports, and loves to play with Ellie, and enjoys what she brings to the team.
“Ellie has a very outgoing personality and definitely brought a positive goofy vibe to the team,” Busceme said. “Besides her being a great teammate, she is a great player and you can always count on her on and off the field.”
Karl thinks personality grows with time. He has been with Ellie since the day she was born and has admired her growth.
“Other than the obvious fact of how tall she has gotten; I have seen her develop a sense of pride in everything she does,” Karl said. “It has been years since I have asked her if she wants to go practice, she takes it upon herself to work, and work hard.”
