Video: Central Florida’s Cindy Ball Speaks to Power50 Participants

Above are some video highlights of Coach Cindy Ball’s speech to athletes last night (Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018) at the ProSwings Power 50 tournament.

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In one of over 50 collegiate coaching changes last summer, Cindy Ball Malone took the helm for the Central Florida Knights.

UCF alumnus Stephanie Best, founder of ProSwings, hosts several tournaments per year in the town she never left after graduation. The South Carolina native now calls the Orlando area home and hosts camps, provides instruction, and founded a non-profit, KidSwings.

This year’s Power 50 happens twice, one now and one in three weekends and offers a different style of showcase for participating teams.

Best is known for her innovating spirit and arranged the talk for Coach Ball, which was a surprise for the participants and their families.

Coach Ball, affectionately known as “Bear,” was able to speak to event participants within carefully structured rules on the Saturday night after the games concluded. (See our Facebook page for video of a portion of the talk.)

Many topics were addressed while the crowd got to know the new leader of the local Knights squad.

Ball told the story of her nickname (bestowed upon her by Gary and Dean Faucett, with whom she traveled in her So Cal Chopper days), discussed the new recruiting rules, the “Power of the Moment,” and what coaches look for in the recruiting process.

Ball favorably spoke of the new rules and about how they serve to slow down the recruiting process and the fears that lead to rushing into making a lifelong decision.

“I think we lost part of the game,” she said. “We lost softball IQ because of it (early recruiting). It became all about flash.”

Ball also encouraged players and their parents to be aware of the powerful moments in their lives and playing careers, as one moment can change everything.

“You never know who’s watching,” she said, encouraging players to play big and be different. “There are no bad days on the field.”

“The field should be a sacred place,” Ball continued. “We use this field to take our risks… You’re going to learn yourself on the field, and you’re going to use it in the game of life.”

Many audience members wanted to understand the recruiting process, how to stand out, and what coaches look for in recruits. Ball said that every coach has a style that he or she finds favorable. For Ball, she stressed that character matters and leadership matters even more.

While the UCF staff is obviously looking for defensive and offensive skill, Ball emphasized that character is her “dealbreaker.”

She stated that she’s looking for competitiveness, selflessness, mental toughness, and leadership in players.

Ball also emphasized the importance of competitiveness and the habits great competitors have in that they invite failure and see it as a challenge to get better and they encourage others to get better.

“How far can you go?” the coach asked. The answer: “as far as your leaders take you.”

The best way to help your player determine which schools she should focus on is to help your player start thinking and Ball encouraged parents to ask questions—and to let the player answer.

“It’s the player’s road to choose,” she said.

Among the questions suggested:

• How far away do you want to go?
• When it comes to classes, how large-or how small-can you handle?
• What kind of weather do you like or hate?
• What opportunities are there to help you after college is over, for networking?

But most importantly, “love the school regardless of whether or not you can play,” she said.

Ultimately, the benefit of playing at the collegiate level is that athletes can get out of it what they put into it. Another point to consider, she said, is the division of play the athlete aims for because there are multitude of levels to play.

“The game is the same at every level,” Ball said. “It still requires you to do your best (and) your best is always required.”

She had some sage advice for parents of recruits and collegiate athletes as well, especially discussing those “after game” talks.

“Let the girls bring the game to you,” she said. “See what happens. It is super important to understand that this is a process. We need to enjoy the journey.”