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Mo'ne Davis on cover of Sports Illustrated

“Dad, is it bad to like Little League World Series better than Christmas? Because I think I might.”

That’s a quote and a question from my 10-year old son, Noah.

Noah eats, breathes, and sleeps baseball.  He loves baseball so much he feels guilt about liking it as much as Christmas.

The Little League World Series (LLWS) is special to me, my family, and my town. Every year, kids from across the globe make the trip to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, to play in the LLWS.

This year was even more special than usual. A Pennsylvania team made it to LLWS. And not just any Pennsylvania team. An all African-american team from Philadelphia, led by a 13-year old girl named Mo’ne Davis.

So, what can Little Leaguers teach you about air medical leadership?

Your Example Matters

Mo’ne Davis was a fantastic role model for my son –before she gained national attention. And it didn’t take very long, until Mo’ne became a fantastic role model for us all.

The buzz about Mo’ne started when she led her teammates from Philly’s Taney Youth Baseball Association into the final rounds of the LLWS. The finals are televised every year on ESPN. During the finals, Mo’ne threw a complete game shutout on national television, and a full on Mo’ne media frenzy began.

The best part?

Mo’ne didn’t let any of the media attention change her.

Writer Albert Chen, described Mo’ne perfectly in a Sports Illustrated story, “Mo’ne’s a lot of things to a lot of different people, all of them good things: a totem for inner-city baseball, a role model for your 10-year-old niece, a role model for your 10-year-old nephew. Most of all, she’s a laid-back kid just having a really good time.”

Your Confidence Matters

In case you’re just now hearing about Mo’ne Davis for the first time, Davis is the rare girl in a boy-dominated event (only 18 females have ever played in the LLWS).

America has become so captivated with Mo’ne, that Sports Illustrated magazine slapped her picture on the cover this week. She’s the first Little Leaguer to land the honor, and only the third 13-year old to make the cover in Sports Illustrated history (tennis prodigies Tracy Austin and Jennifer Capriati were the other two).

My favorite Mo’ne Davis quote came when she calmly described her pitching style to ESPN:

 “I throw my curveball like Clayton Kershaw and my fastball like Mo’ne Davis.” ~Mo’ne Davis

That’s an inspiring amount of confidence from a 13-year old girl.

Your Humility Matters

But the thing I love most about Mo’ne, is the same as what I believe America loves most about Mo’ne –her beyond-her-years humility. She’s the real deal. At the end of the day, she’s a kid with the same hopes, dreams and desires all kids have. She doesn’t think of herself as anything special. She just thinks of herself as a kid who’s glad to play baseball in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Mo’ne doesn’t think of herself as a role model. Mo’ne just is a role model.

This year’s Little League World Series came with valuable lessons and fantastic surprises –how to be a better pilot, husband, father –just to name a few.

And finally, to answer my son’s question –yes Noah, I think it’s okay to like this years Little League World Series as much as Christmas. I think you should hang on to your 10-year old hopes and dreams as long as you can. Sometimes it takes awhile for those same hopes and dreams to come back to you as an adult.  Sometimes it takes a special 13-year old girl like Mo’ne Davis and the magic of Little Leaguers to bring them all out again.

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Troy Shaffer
Troy Shaffer

About the Author: Troy is an Air Medical Career Expert passionate about a team approach to improving air medical safety from the ground up. Troy is a former Army medic, Army pilot, Coast Guard pilot and EMS pilot. Troy has taught hundreds of wannabe flight medics, flight nurses and EMS pilots the exact steps needed to launch air medical careers.

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