CAMPERS & PARENTS SAY RISE BALL CAMPS ARE THE BEST!

“Your Rise Ball camp was one of my favorite softball experiences to date. The concept and execution was incredible.  To have that many top notch college head coaches spend that amount of time with my 14 year old, helping her to do what she loves to do was priceless.  To watch them interact with her, joking, laughing and instructing her on how to be a better player and person (all while knowing her by her first name) again is priceless.”

Ron M

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Just wanted to take the time to personally thank you for the camp.

In addition to the enthusiasm and passion your coaching staff showed for teaching, what I came away most impressed with had nothing to do with hitting or fielding fundamentals. I just loved the discussions and learnings you shared with the girls and parents, ranging from the fact that there's a college out there for anyone who wants to play as long as they're proactive about their future.

I also really enjoyed the life lessons you made a point of delivering, including shaking someone's hand firmly, nodding and acknowledging when someone is talking to you and smiling to show your teeth. These are the kinds of things that I always made a point of passing along when I coached, letting the girls know it wasn't always about softball, it was about how they'd become respectful young ladies and functioning members of society and a work force.

I've tried to preach to my son who is a freshman at Lehigh (you told me you went there for grad school) that the most valuable thing you can do in life is find mentors that you can try to emulate or take things from to shape your own way of working or doing business or just acting in a particular setting. The biggest compliment I could give you and your team is that you were much more than coaches, you were mentors, and that's really a special thing.

Congrats again for an enjoyable few days and I'll hopefully see you at a camp in the future (and I'll make sure to recommend the clinic on to other people).

Thanks again. All the best.
JY  

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Hi Coach,

I know you get 50 emails a day so I’ll keep this short.  As a parent of four daughters who have played high school, travel and collegiate sports, the rise ball camp my daughter attended this past weekend was by far the best experience she and I have both had in any sport, at any event.  I saw kids from California, Texas, NY, NJ and Penn come together and in 2 days leave as a bonded team with a whole bunch of new softball skills to go along with those new friendships. She came as a frazzled, “in the middle of college application” stressed out senior and came home a happy kid.  I actually saw her skipping to third base yesterday and we have both been reminded why she is pursuing this sport in the first place…because she loves to play the game.  I listened and took to heart everything you and the other coaches said about how out of control the recruiting/college search process is and on the way home I made the decision to stop my crazed quest to find the right college and team for her and to relax, support her and trust her to make the right decision for herself. I now realize that helping her to gain the skills she needs to be the best player she can be at whatever level she plays will make her college experience a success, not what level she plays at or how much money she gets or doesn’t get.  I heard so many poignant things from your amazing coaching staff and watching them interact with the kids it is clear that beyond all of the experience and expertise they bring, they love what they do and invest themselves in each kid.  Thanks again and I will recommend your program to everyone I know with a softball player!                     

TB 

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Wanted to thank you guys for a great camp.  Actually I found the opportunity for a meaningful exchange with the coaches unique in contrast with some of the other camps.

I am a big believer in connecting with a campus and coaches at these things and having observed the dynamic at several that ranged from recruiting combines to much less competitive and you have created a nice balance of reinforcing fundamentals and painting the bigger picture for real student athlete commitments.  I will be passing on the good word to some of the CA kids we know in the travel ball circuit out here who want to explore options back east beyond the west coast meat grinder schools.

HK (California)

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I want to thank you for running an unbelievable softball camp. You and Coach Edwards make a great team and complement each other well. Because of your exceptional eye, I will always remember "heel down, heel up with a pinch" before my "chicken wing", which will help me progress as a hitter!

KS Class of 2013  

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EG

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I would like to thank you three for inviting me to work camp.  I believe that I learned as much as the campers!

PM (One of our Terrific College Coaches on Staff.... see we (coaches) also all learn at camp!)

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My daughter attended the camp in Edison over the weekend and she had a wonderful time.  Her experience with every coach who participated was extremely positive and I don't think there was a rotation she went through over the three days where she didn't feel like she learned something and was given tools to improve her game on her own.  The coaches you assembled to work with you on the camp were absolutely fantastic.

JT

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I’ve been around this game for quite a while and attended numerous camps and clinics up and down the East Coast, but after attending the Riseball Showcase Camp in Edison, NJ, run by Roy Kortmann of Long Island University, Bill Edwards of Hofstra, and Jay Nelson of Rutgers, I have to say, this camp leaves all the other ones fighting for 2nd place.

Let’s start with the instructor lineup card:

Bill Edwards               Hofstra

Larissa Anderson       Hofstra

Ryan Realmuto          Hofstra

Jay Nelson                 Rutgers

Misty Beaver              Rutgers

Roy Kortmann           LIU

Krystal Mejia             LIU

Andy Russo               St. Johns

Andrea D’Innocenzo  UCONN

Adrienne Clark         Columbia

Jill Karkowski           Boston College

Diana Consolmagno  Hartford Univ.

Sean Cotter               Umass-Lowell

Courtney Oliver        Boston University

Chris Reyes               The developer of the Catchermetrx Training for Catchers

In addition to the instructors, there were a number of players from their respective squads on hand to help.

A very impressive roster to say the least, with lots of awards, accomplishments and high level experience.

The camp was separated into teams designated by color. From there, each group hit a rotating circuit covering all aspects of the game then leading into scrimmage games.

“Your Rise Ball camp was one of my favorite softball experiences to date. The concept and execution was incredible.  To have that many top notch college head coaches spend that amount of time with my 14 year old, helping her to do what she loves to do was priceless.  To watch them interact with her, joking, laughing and instructing her on how to be a better player and person (all while knowing her by her first name) again is priceless.” – Ron M

 I can hear many of you asking, “What’s so different about this camp?”

A whole lot. 

The personal touch these coaches have incorporated into this camp is unheard of these days with the “showcase” tournaments out there now. The coaches are hands on as each offer help in their field of expertise, moving through the players, providing individual instruction during the drills, while constantly giving positive motivation and reinforcement.

This wasn’t coaches standing behind a backstop jotting down numbers and notes. Players were able to interact with the coaches, engage in conversations with them about the game, ask questions and have a host of experts answer with their unique, battle-tested philosophies. Great Stuff ! 

Here’s a link to their site. Do yourself a favor and check it out. If you or your softball player has aspirations of competing at the collegiate level, Riseball Camp will give you something to shoot for and a set of tools to help get there.

http://riseballcamp.com/index.php

Coach Mike

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