Balancing act

It is hard enough to balance life and family time when one of the parents decide to take on the task of coaching voluntarily in youth sports.
But, when both parents put forth their time and dedication to the grind of a baseball or softball season, well let’s just say that balance can sometimes be pretty fragile.
Somehow, someway David and Sunny LaHaye make it all come together. Both have coached their children, Eliza and J.D., in baseball and softball for the past several years, even into All-Star play.
On top of that, they also have a younger child, Luke, that is still too young to play. So, to say things can get a tad hectic would be a major understatement.
When asked how does he and his wife balance out being parents and coaches, David was straight forward with the answer.
“I don’t know if it ever balances out,” stated David. “Before this season started, Sunny and I sat down and had a conversation about ‘do we want to do this again’ because we’ve gone through this before. We knew things were going to be chaotic.”
“But, we also knew that if we take a year off, that’s a year that we don’t get back,” David continued. “Their are sacrifices that have to be made. We are lucky, we have parents that are willing to help, sitters that are willing to stay extra. We are lucky.”
Obviously there are challenges that the couple must face in order to make sure that life does not get out of hand. Just like her husband, Sunny agrees that it would not be possible without a little help.
“The biggest challenges for us are making sure that baby sitters are lined-up, uniforms are clean, and that we are not turning in and out of the driveway on two wheels,” said Sunny. “For David and I, the greatest challenge is that we make time for the family to take a deep breath and not take the ballpark home with us.”
“It takes a village,” she said laughingly. “And we have some amazing people that help us make it work.”
Coaching should come natural to the LaHayes as both David and Sunny played on the diamond ever since they were old enough to join a league.
Their playing careers lasted all the way into high school, where both were part of state championship teams at Sacred Heart. The love of the game was always there, so it is no wonder they decided to take that love and share it with not only their children, but others as well.
David began his coaching career as an assistant on a T-Ball team. Two years later, when the league needed coaches, David stepped up and decided to be a head coach, even though he did not know if his son was going to play or not.
“Funny story, I had to kind of had to trick him into playing,” said David. “I knew that I was going to coach, and I knew that his personality is to help. So, I told him that I wanted to try some drills for my team and asked him to come test them with me to see if it would help them play better.”
“He came out and did everything I asked him to do,” David continued. “After it was over, he told me that he thought the drills would work. Then he asked me if he is old enough to play too. I told him yes and he told me ‘Well I think I want to play too.”
Ever since then David and J.D. have been together through T-Ball and Coach Pitch this season, even making history when the Ville Platte T-Ball All-Stars became the first to ever make it to the World Series.
Meanwhile, in the softball world, a somewhat parallel story played itself out, as Sunny also knew that she would coach in the Ville Platte Girl’s Softball league regardless if Eliza played or not. Nevertheless, Eliza did decide to play and Sunny has been by her side coaching her every step of the way.
According to Sunny, Eliza started loving the game when she was only six-years-old. “Just seeing her play and enjoy the game brings back so many memories for me. I am glad that she is able to feel camaraderie and the friendships that you make when you play.”
“I wasn’t hooked on coaching or dead set on it until she started in the 6U league,” Sunny continued. “But once I saw how much she began to love it, I got the bug in me also.”
That bug led to a World Series appearance for both Sunny and Eliza during that year. And, once again the LaHayes made history, as that team was also the first 6U team from VPGSA to participate in a World Series.
Now that the two have been through the chaos for the last few years, the question becomes do they dare continue to coach in the ensuing seasons? With the love of the game firmly entrenched in the entire family, the answer is quite simple: NO DOUBT!!
“My plan is to move up with J.D. as he gets older,” said David. “But, eventually I will have to let him go out on his own and hear other voices than mine. Besides, I have a younger son that I know I will want to coach also.”
“I hope to continue being around the game and coaching Eliza as long as I can,” commented Sunny. “It is so fun to come out everyday and coach girls who are talented and who really love the game and to be around other dedicated coaches.”
Just like every other parent that coaches their child, the LaHayes want to make the most of the time they have with their kids.
As David puts it, “Once it is gone, we are going to miss it.”