A team that’s making a lot of noise this fall is Ted Flannery’s Birmingham Thunderbolts ’04 bunch that recently won the 2016 Fall Atlanta Fastpitch Classic. The Thunderbolts ’04 continues the winning tradition the Birmingham organization has created over the last few years. This Birmingham Thunderbolts ’04 team has a core of talented players who have played together since 10U.
Ted Flannery’s team finished fifth at ASA/USA Nationals as a first year 12U team using their strong pitching and catching combination. Last year as a true 11U team the Thunderbolts ’04 squad finished with a 46-16 Spring/Summer season record with only one loss to another ’04 team. This team has continued to grow into a fundamentally sound team over the last year in the “underdog role”. It’s going to be fun to watch how this team develops moving forward as one of the big dawgs in 12U.
In the fall, teams are trying to build team chemistry and the Thunderbolts ‘04 have proved their chemistry with a record of 12-0-1 so far this tournament season. The Atlanta Fastpitch Classic was a good test on where they stand on the National level. They have proved they could be one of the best 12U teams in the country. The team is scrappy and loaded with speed, which as a result puts pressure on the defense. The Atlanta Fastpitch Classic was loaded with talented teams and the other three finishers were Clearwater Lady Bombers, Beverly Bandits Premier, and Georgia Impact-Langston. This group of teams will be making noise all summer leading into PGF Nationals in Huntington Beach California. The Birmingham Thunderbolts ’04 has set the bar and now it’s up to all the other 12u teams to catch them.
Here is what Ted Flannery had to say about the Thunderbolts organization and the direction it’s headed:
FPN: What role do assistant coaches have on your team? Do you consider yourself a micro-manager?
TF: I have an assistant coach who does all of the pitch calling and one who sets the defense. We will discuss games as they are happening and sometimes I will give a little input for them but for the most part, I leave them alone and let them do their part. It is a team effort and we trust each other.
FPN: What is one word or phrase that you hope former players use to describe you?
TF: Encouraging! I believe that girls play better when they feel good about themselves. With my group, I hardly ever have to get on to them because they are already so tough on themselves, so I try to encourage them as much as I can.
FPN: Your team motto is?
TF: Get better every time you take the field.
FPN: How do you plan on improving as a coach from year to year?
TF: I am very lucky to be coaching for the Birmingham Thunderbolts. There are professional coaches on staff who work year round to coach all the players from 8U-18 Premier. They also are constantly helping the coaches learn the game and teach us all how to become better coaches. Every year I become a better coach thanks to them. I listen and learn as much as I can.
FPN: How has coaching affected your life?
TF: I’ve been coaching something (basketball, volleyball, softball) since my girls have been born so it’s been what I do for a long time now. I love it, but it has been quite a sacrifice at times for my family. My wife has always supported me and encouraged me to keep coaching. The Bolts demand a lot of time and energy but it’s hard to imagine not coaching.
FPN: Describe the organization of a typical practice.
TF: Many of our practices are run by the professional coaches at the Thunderbolts facility. They are extremely organized and focus mostly on physical conditioning, skill development in the field and base running. Almost all the players have their own hitting coaches so we spend as much time as we can on defense.
FPN: How do you handle key players (not in another sport routinely) not attending practices?
TF: We don’t have the population in Birmingham that a lot of other nationally recognized teams have in their surrounding areas (eg Houston, Los Angeles, Chicago), so we pull players from further distances than many teams. Because of this, we have learned how to take advantage of what practice time we can. Sometimes, that may mean that everyone comes into town for an entire weekend and we practice 12 or more hours over two days. We do what we can to make it work and everyone understands the expectation to be working out at home with a hitting/pitching coach etc.
FPN: What is your philosophy on discipline?
TF: Follow the rules or find a different team. Players represent the organization and it is made clear to all players from as early as eight years old that if you can’t follow our rules, we will find players who can. Many people over the years have worked very hard to make the Birmingham Thunderbolts a well-respected organization, and it is up to the players, parents and coaches to continue living up to those high expectations.
FPN: What would you try to teach your players besides softball? How would you do that?
TF: I tell the girls before every tournament begins, “Your worth as a person has nothing to do with how you play today.” I think girls are too hard on themselves after they make mistakes and they don’t give themselves enough credit when they do something well. I am friends with a couple of very well-known college softball coaches (Marla Townsend, Karen Johns) and I have had them come talk to the girls on a regular basis about how to improve their mental attitude and toughness – not only in softball but in life. As an Assistant Principal in a middle school, I can tell you that girls need the encouragement and the mental toughness. Twelve years old is a difficult age for them, and I try to keep that in mind when coaching.
