Darren Elliott with Sokhayne Prak
Meet Sokhayne Prak. A very mindful and big hearted nine year old who lives with his mom and dad, and two younger sisters, in Northern California's Wine Country area.
My relationship with Sokhayne and his wonderful family, began the summer of 2015, when I was a Coach and Mentor for the Junior Giants Baseball Program put on by The San Francisco Giant's, and former SF Giant's pitcher, Noah Lowery. This wonderful program provides economically challenged families of Sonoma County, the opportunity to enroll their kids in a free baseball program that teaches kids not only baseball, but essential life skills, as well. I met many wonderful kids and supportive parents during that time, and one child in particular was Sokhayne Prak.
I feel, there are three important ingredients to making a good ball player, a standout; confidence, focus, and determination. When those things are present in a player, good things will follow.
Take Sokhayne, who at the age of three, was already playing billiards with adults - and winning! Baseball however, was not something he had really done before. He, like most of the kids in the Junior Giant program, didn't know much at all about baseball, and were all pretty much starting starting out at the ground floor, learning to throw, catch and hit a ball.
Fast forward eight weeks, the end of the Junior Giant program, and time to say goodbye to my players who I coached and mentored. Everyone but Sokhayne that is. Within a couple of weeks, Sokhayne and I, at the request of his mom, would again meet. This time, it was for one-on-one instruction with me, two hours a week. Together, we would delve deeper into teaching him the fundamentals of fielding, throwing and hitting. At our first meeting, I asked him the same question I ask all of my students, "what do you want to get from these lessons?" His answer was simple - "to be an All-Star." Mind you, this is coming from someone who at the time, had minimal baseball abilities.
After a couple of sessions, Sokhayne went from having a like warm interest towards baseball, to a deep love affair with the game. Once that happened, he would not only practice his lessons for hours on end when we were not practicing together, he would also watch every You Tube training video, every sports highlight reel, and every baseball game he could land his eyes on. Sokhayne definitely had the incurable Baseball Fever, always watching, studying then practicing what he had just seen. And at the end of the day, he would sleep with his equipment. Gee, I hope he doesn't raz me for disclosing that tid-bit of info.
Within six week's, Sokhayne's focus and commitment to me and the sport, had him ready to try out for Little League. Undoubtedly, his performance at try-outs caught the attention of every coach on the field because his mechanics looked like that of a seasoned ball player. Mind you, only weeks prior this kid couldn't throw, catch or hit a ball! From that moment on, coaches kept their eyes on this 4'3" eight year old wonder child, who was the only player drafted from the Minor league to the Major league at that age. Sokhayne was definitely seeing his goal of becoming an All Star well within reach. A starter in every game, a lead off hitter most of the time, and although a lefty, the coach had him playing positions he knew Sokhayne was the best man for, catcher! If he wasn't catching he was pitching, if he wasn't pitching he was playing shortstop or second, if not that, he was in center field! Remember, this was a Rookie, just brought up to Majors who was now a standout in the older division, and a vital member of his team that helped get his team to the championship!
Now your'e probably wondering, well, did they win the Championship?! Shame on you. That's not the important thing, but now that you asked, in a nail biting series ending, they wound up losing. However, Sokhayne's wish did come true, he became an All-Star that season, and in addition to that, he was crowned the leagues MVP that season.
The moral of the story is this. Dream big, just put in the hours of work it will take to make your dream a reality.
Today, I still have the pleasure of training with Sokhayne. He's ten years old now, and if you saw him play, your mouth would drop to floor with the talent this kid has.
Now I don't want you to think I am saying that his success is all because of me and my training program, because that would be pretty arrogant. Truth is, I am just a member of the village it has taken to get Sokhayne where he is today. The village includes the undying love and support of his beautiful family, his supportive coaches, Sokhayne's confidence, focus and determination. And somewhere in there I will add myself to the mix. Together, we are all celebrating his achievements.
So for all of you players out there, set your goals and go after them, and use Sokhayne's story as your inspiration, to know you can accomplish anything you put your heart and soul into. Your village will form when you, yourself, has the determination to shine brighter than others. As an instructor, that's the first thing I instill in my students - self-confidence. With that, you will hit it out of the park every time.
I hope to see you, with me, on the ball field
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