Seven Innings: Ondra Carter Corona Angels 04
The Corona Angels are known as one of the top programs in the Country. Ondra Carter serves as the head coach of the Corona Angels 04 (12U) team. Coach Carter has over 17 years of club travel ball experience from 10u to the gold level. As a first year 12U team last year, Ondra Carter team took 17th place at PGF Nationals and a third place finish at TCS Silver Nationals. Coach Carter’s core group of players have been together for three years. This squad learned a lot last year as a first year 12U team and are poised for a strong run at the PGF Nationals later this summer. Coach Cater recently had a conversation with FPN’s Brandon Pannell.
Brandon Pannell: Who is your greatest role model either personally or as a coach?
Coach Ondra Carter: My father. He was a pastor, he told me that my words could hurt more than I would ever know. I’ve always held on to that. I’ve tried to be careful when I coach, with my words and actions.
Brandon Pannell: What are your best and worst memories in coaching?
Coach Ondra Carter: I had been coaching for about 10 years when my second youngest got her softball scholarship. I decided to stop coaching a follow her college games for a while. Her junior year one of her old travel ball teammate’s parents ask me to coach a younger sibling. I ended up with several siblings on that team. I felt honored in the trust those parents had in me and still do. One of my worst memories was the day I got the call that one of my closest friends and assistant coach had passed away. It was one of the worst days of my life.
Brandon Pannell: What has been your most important accomplishment as a coach?
Coach Ondra Carter: Being invited to my old player’s college graduations. I love seeing them succeed, it’s amazing feeling that they would still want to include me in their lives after softball. I’m grateful for that. Nothing compares as a coach, to know that the circle you considered family still thinks of you as a family too! It’s also a marker I’m getting old! A lot of my players are married and have children of their own now. I guess I better get ready for the next generation, at least that’s what they tell me.
Brandon Pannell: What’s Unique about our team?
Coach Ondra Carter: We have a very diverse group of girls with different personalities. Some extremely opposite of each other. Some may think that this can cause conflict but our girls have a wonderful respect for one another, understand each players ability that they make it work. It is through this understanding that they are able to draw from each other’s differences and abilities to challenge each other to become better which ultimately makes the team stronger. At the end, their diversity is what brings balance to the team to learn and work with each other with one goal in mind; to win.
Brandon Pannell: What would you try to teach your players besides softball? How would you do that?
Coach Ondra Carter: In softball, there are decisions made that you may not always agree upon. Sometimes you make mistakes and you must overcome and move forward. Learning from these situations and how to deal with them makes for a better-prepared player and person in real life. This is what we instill in our girls.
Brandon Pannell: Your team motto is?
Coach Ondra Carter: You will not always be the biggest, strongest or fastest but that is not an excuse for putting in 110% effort.
Brandon Pannell: What role do assistant coaches have on your team?
Coach Ondra Carter: Just like the players, the assistant coaches are different but have something unique to offer the team. We have a coach that focuses a lot on field presence, always pushing the girls to work harder and faster. Motivating the girls to communicate and build team spirit. Our other coach is more methodical. Focuses a lot on technique and breaks down the mechanics for the girls to understand what they are doing and why they do it. It makes practices more efficient that I can focus on the tactical aspect of the game and create lessons on what we need to work on.
Brandon Pannell: What does being a “Corona Angel’s” mean?
Coach Ondra Carter: That you have mental toughness, hard work, and dedication. That you are fundamentally sound in all aspects of the game. Most importantly, you are a gifted student in the classroom, in your community as well as on the field.
