Coaching Duo: Husband & Wife loved coaching little league

Jul 03, 2010

By: Andria Carter

By BILLY THARP

For The Trentonian

If you ask around about the state of baseball in Trenton, many coaches will say that there needs to be more parental involvement. Twenty-five years ago that wasn’t a problem – thanks in part to my aunt and uncle.

In the early 80s, Gerry and Joe Skrajewski began coaching their children and relatives. Gerry, my aunt, loved to play softball and basketball. She had already coached before as she coached her sister, my mom, in basketball, but her biggest impact was as a baseball coach, when she became the first woman to manage a team in the District 12 Little League tournament.

My aunt and uncle started talking about coaching together when my cousin, Joey was coached by another husband- wife duo in tee-ball. The Skrajewskis asked around and discovered that 6-11 Little League was a co-ed league, and Gerry and Joe would both get to coach.

When they began coaching, the Skrajewskis were able to coach Joey and their nephews Brian and Raymond Goeke. For the rest of their coaching days, there could be a combination of three relatives on a team that included son and daughter, Joey and Michelle, and niece and nephews Megan, Brian, and Raymond.

“Not only was 6-11 like a second family to us,” Gerry says. “Our family, our parents, brother, and sisters would be there cheering us on. It was great.”

Gerry and Joe coached All Stars for the first time when their son was 10 – a season that produced wheat Gerry considers who most memorable moment as a coach, when 6-11 won the 10-year-old District 12 tournament.

“We had such a talented group of youngsters, and it was a thrill to see all their hard work pay off,” Gerry says.

Two years later – in 1982 — the boys were ready for their final season of Little League as 12-year-old All-Stars.

Gerry and Joe worked as a tandem, with Gerry managing the team and Joe serving as her top assistant, keeping stats and keeping the kids involved. Six-Eleven had the toughest draw possible in its opener: A Sunnybrae team that included Kevin Barry, who went on to play in the major leagues.

The ensuing upset win was one of Gerry’s proudest moments as a manager.

“My son was the winning pitcher,” she recalls. “It as 90 degrees out – hot and humid. We even got stopped running the game for a thunderstorm. He pitched a great game and we were very proud of him and our team for playing such a gutsy game.”

After Six-Eleven won two games in the tournament, the Skrajewskis followed Joey to Babe Ruth League the following year, but stayed involved in Little League to coach Michelle.

After Babe Ruth, the Skrajewskis’ coaching careers ended, but they said they would do it again for any grandchildren. Years after coaching, Gerry still misses a lot about Little League.

“I miss the atmosphere of the Little League,” Gerry says. “I miss the players and coaches who we spent so much time with over the years. It’s cool when I run into former players. I’ll hear someone say “Coach”, and I turn around and see a young fella who used to be one of my players and now he’s a man. Hopefully he has great memories of playing for us, and that’s the ultimate satisfaction for us.”

Gerry and Joe both say that they would coach again with minimal regrets from the past. “Yes, we would definitely do it again,” Gerry says. “We would worry less about losing and concentrate more on doing our best and trying to win and have fun. Also, we would give all the players more of an opportunity to play different positions and improve themselves.

Lastly, we would love to help coach our grandchildren one day, too.”

Trenton leagues are now struggling to build rosters, in part because of a lack of parental involvement. The 6-11 league, for instance, has been forced to merge its all-star team with the one from West End for the past two seasons.

Gerry, though, still believes good coaching can go a long way.

“I would just encourage the coaches to bring their love of the game to the field every day and share their knowledge and passion for baseball with the youngsters that do come and play,” she says. “You can’t worry about the children that aren’t there. Just make it a wonderful experience for the ones who are.”

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 3rd, 2010 at 7:20 pm and is filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.