Coaches find clever ways to motivate their teams

Harden informed me it was in reference to June 18 – the day of the Class 2A state championship, which was stated goal for his group from the beginning of preseason workouts last fall.

That had me reminiscing on the various end-of-huddle breakdowns my coaches had for our Terre Haute North teams during my high school career, as well as the ones I’ve heard from all of the teams as a sportswriter. Most of them are typically an inside-the-program type of things, such as Linton’s ‘618’ chant, unless it’s the basic, ’1-2-3, Knights’ or ‘1-2-3 Eels.’

It also made me remember a story Kelly Bays shared with me when I was putting together a story about Jan Gambill after Northview’s softball team had named its field after the Clay County pioneer.

The story Bays shared didn’t make the story, but it makes its way into this column because I found it very interesting how Gambill used a song to motivate one of the best softball teams to ever play at Northview.

Bays’ quotes about Gambill and the ‘Pumpkin Express’ can be found below:

“She used a song from, interestingly enough, a Chipmunks album as a theme and motivation for the 1994 and 1995 teams. The chorus was:

You gotta believe in pumpkins

If you want to go to the ball

Don't stop yourself from havin' a little

And you can have it all

Faith is just like planting seeds

They help your dreams come true

Believe in what's around you

And good things will come to you

The ‘Pumpkin Express’ – as we were known in 1994 and 1995 – went on to have a successful season in 1994, finishing the regular season with a record of 15-2. Prior to that season, Northview softball had not had much postseason success. However, this season would be different. For the first time in school history, Northview won the Terre Haute softball sectional. The following week, the ‘Pumpkin Express’ took Rockville by storm and won the softball program's first regional. We fell short in the Booneville Semi-State, but with only two seniors, the team was determined to be better the next year. I was fortunate that Jan hired me the next year as an assistant JV coach. She recognized my potential to contribute to Northview softball in a new way.

The ‘Pumpkin Express’ went on to enjoy even more success in 1995 by winning our first ever semi-state, beating Lake Central in the first game of the state finals only to fall short to Center Grove in the state championship game. This team was the most successful team – boys or girls – in school history to that point.”

It’s things like Harden’s ‘618’ huddle breakdown and Gambill naming the Lady Knights after a song on the Alvin and the Chipmunks album that make sports so fascinating – and often times bring teams together that will be remembered forever.