MGoBlue.com Summer Sessions: Head Coach Carol Hutchins
7/28/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
July 28, 2011
Each weekday in the month of July, MGoBlue.com will feature an interview with a U-M head coach. Thursday's (July 28) first interview is with head softball coach Carol Hutchins, who talks about a tough transition into summer, getting back to the World Series with a strong senior class, and working as a camp counselor and bus driver.
What makes the summer in softball so unique?
We are one of the few sports that is actually a summer sport. That might be unique. It's a time that we really evaluate prospects. It's a major recruiting period. We just finished our season, and we have about a two-week break -- a little longer than we would have liked this year -- then we head right out and watch kids on the road. What's unique with us is we don't really get a decompression period right off the bat.
More than anything, these kids are out the door in 48 hours. It's like driving your car 100 miles per hour and then just go off the cliff. It's a really rough transition, especially when your season ends before the College World Series. Everybody has to recover. The kids and the coaching staff put their heart and soul into the 9-10 months of the year that we're all together every day, then boom, all of a sudden we're not together and we don't see them anymore. They've got about 48 hours then they get out of here.
Why are the summer months so important to the development of the team?
I always tell the kids that the greatest gains they make are really going to be from the end of May until the end of August. That's when they can really focus on three days a week of hard conditioning and hard lifting and still have a chance to enjoy their summer. They need a break. It's a very intense year. During the school year, our training is constantly interrupted by the fact that we've got to be competing in games. So, the summer months are the time for them to make the biggest gains.
What do you see as the team's biggest strength heading into next season?
I really like our senior class. You look at (Amanda) Chidester, Bree Evans and (Stephanie) Kirkpatrick -- they're a really strong class returning. We've got a lot of good, youthful enthusiasm. Our freshmen come in very highly acclaimed. There are some unknown factors. To me, I think that keeps us on our toes. I think it will keep our upperclassmen from getting too overconfident, because they understand there's a lot of work to be done. I like the fact that you've got Amanda Chidester leading the way for us next year, because she's a hard-working kid. We love Bree's hard-edge demeanor, and we're excited to have KP back. Those kids made it to the World Series their freshman year. I've got to believe they want to get back. They've learned -- the hard way -- it's hard to get there.
What was your first summer job? And where?
My first summer job, I believe, was when I was in college. I worked at Camp Pawapi, outside of Lansing. It was a YMCA youth camp; it was a day camp out in the woods. So we did archery and canoeing and stuff like that. I loved it. I drove the bus. To make extra cash, I came in early and stayed late and drove the bus. I had a little bus route and picked the kids up and dropped them off. It was a full-sized school bus, and I only ran over one fire hydrant. It was a lot of fun. I had the oldest kids, the sixth graders. We just got to be outside all day and play in the woods. Lots of mosquito bites. Lots of camp songs, which I still sing to this day with my team.
Do you or did you have any special travel plans this summer?
We travel back and forth with recruiting trips, but I also spend a lot of time on Lake Michigan. Whenever I get a chance, I'm going to take my dog, go to Lake Michigan and jump in the lake. That's my favorite place to go, and I'll continue to go as often as I can. I spent a long weekend on my sister's boat in northern Michigan. That was the most unique place I've been, because there's nothing like enjoying the lake from out in the middle of the lake.
Since your season ended, tell us one unique thing you have done?
I haven't done anything too unique. I got to go boating. I've been working. I just go work, play, work, play. We've had a great summer, had five commitments this semester, including three just over the last three weeks. So, things are going really well with our recruiting, but that doesn't have anything to do with this year's team.
Past MGoBlue.com Summer Sessions
• Head Men's Basketball Coach John Beilein (July 27)
• Head Women's Gymnastics Coach Bev Plocki (July 26)
• Head Men's Gymnastics Coach Kurt Golder (July 26)
• Head Ice Hockey Coach Red Berenson (July 25)
• Head Women's Tennis Coach Ronni Bernstein (July 22)
• Head Field Hockey Coach Marcia Pankratz (July 22)
• Head Women's Basketball Coach Kevin Borseth (July 21)
• Head Men's Lacrosse Coach John Paul (July 20)
• Head Wrestling Coach Joe McFarland (July 19)
• Head Women's Track & Field Coach James Henry (July 19)
• Head Women's Golf Coach Cheryl Stacy (July 18)
• Head Rowing Coach Mark Rothstein (July 15)
• Head Women's Swimming Coach Jim Richardson (July 14)
• Head Volleyball Coach Mark Rosen (July 13)
• Head Men's Soccer Coach Steve Burns (July 12)
• Head Women's Cross Country Coach Mike McGuire (July 11)
• Head Men's Cross Country Coach Alex Gibby (July 11)
• Head Women's Soccer Coach Greg Ryan (July 8)
• Head Men's Tennis Coach Bruce Berque (July 7)
• Head Men's Track & Field Coach Fred LaPlante (July 6)
• Head Water Polo Coach Matt Anderson (July 5)
• Head Men's Swimming & Diving Coach Mike Bottom (July 1)
