May 17, 2016
GETTING TO KNOW: JESSICA HOLLEN, NIKE SOFTBALL CAMP DIRECTOR.
GETTING TO KNOW OUR DIRECTORS.
Directing NIKE Softball Camp at George Fox University is Jessica Hollen. Coach Hollen is the head coach at George Fox University and was named the 2012 and 2015 Northwest Conference Coach of the Year. Hollen is a returning Nike Softball Camp coach and looks forward to another great summer of camp in Oregon. Coach Hollen took over the George Fox program which hadn't had a winning season since 2001. Taking the team from strength to strength Hollen lead the 2014 team to a record-breaking win tally of 24-16, the 2015 squad did it again breaking the program record with an overall record of 31-13. As a player, Hollen began her softball career at North Salem High School, but even then took an interest in the coaching side, assisting her high school pitching coach with private lessons by working with the younger pitchers. In college, she played for a season at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, then transferred to Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Ore., and earned Junior College All-America honors as a sophomore. Hollen's coaching career started in 2004 with a year as an assistant softball coach at Chemeketa. She served as the varsity softball coach at Stayton High School in 2005-06 while completing her Bachelor of Science degree in history at Western Oregon University, which she received in 2006. She then returned to Chemeketa as the co-head coach for the 2007 season.
GETTING TO KNOW OUR DIRECTORS.
First and Last Name: Jessica Hollen - Director of Nike Softball Camp
Location(s) you direct: Newberg, OR
How long have you been coaching softball? 12 years
How long have you been directing the Nike Softball Camp? This is the 2nd camp.
Why did you start coaching softball? I am blessed to have the experiences that I had. I believe the game teaches so much about life, and coaching is my way of giving back to something that gave me so much. I LOVE coaching!
Favorite Camp Drill or Activity at Camp? I always love competition drills or the competitive elements outside of softball at camp are great.
What is the key to an incredible camp experience for you? I hope that all of our campers gain knowledge, gain friendship, and feel comfortable reaching out to our staff if there is every anything we can help with.
Your perfect camper on Day #1 arrives with what qualities? A positive attitude, energy, and an open mind!
Which college or pro Coach do you admire and why? The list is long and includes coaches from many sports (Coach K, Pete Carrol, Sue Enguist…), but all of the coaches on the list are high energy, care deeply about their players, and have high expectations. They are honest and open with their teams and help them become better by focusing on the process!
Which college or pro player do you make it a point to watch play? Anyone I can! I truly believe that there is always something to learn from anyone at that level.
What message would you like parents to understand prior to camp? We hope to create the best camp possible, and we will do so by trying to gauge camp as it moves forward. We will make some changes depending on the group, and do our best to create sub-groups that challenge the athletes.
Coaching Tip:
ALWAYS HAVE A PLAN! Don’t just do a drill to do a drill, get the most out of it by understanding the reason for the drill and having a focus. For example, don’t just go throw pitches for a bullpen, have a strategy for what kind of bullpen you are going to throw (a bullpen focusing on making mechanical adjustments, a bullpen focusing on a more game-like atmosphere, a bullpen focusing on game-like transitions…). Once you have determined what kind of bullpen will be thrown, begin planning out the details.
First, know how many pitches you want to be included in the bullpen. Next, determine how many pitches you are focusing on during this particular bullpen, as well as which pitches (if any specific pitch) will be focused on the most. Then begin to determine the number of pitches as well as the kind of sequences will be thrown. Next, understand the details of what you are trying to accomplish and make sure to keep that the focus! For example, don’t just throw a curveball, throw a curve-ball in different counts (0-0 would be a curveball you were trying to throw a strike, 0-2 curveball should not be a strike, but should be something the hitter has to consider swinging at).
The mind is powerful, make sure that it is fully engaged in every drill that you are doing!
For more information on the camps this summer:
https://www.ussportscamps.com/softball/nike/george-fox-university/