Woodburn Independent Online

New coach set for the challenge of Woodburn softball

Former Lakeridge JV coach takes over Lady Bulldogs program

• By: Garrett Rudolph  
• Published: 2/19/2010 4:14:47 PM

Photo By: Garrett RudolphRebecca Polak (left), an assistant coach with the Woodburn girls basketball team, has recently been hired as the head coach of the Lady Bulldogs’ softball program.

WOODBURN — As a softball player, Rebecca Polak has seen all spectrums of success.
 
She’s been a part of teams that have won championships, and teams, like during her senior year at Lakeridge High School, that didn’t win a single game.
 
Now, as Woodburn’s head softball coach, Polak hopes her experience and knowledge can be an asset to a program that has struggled in recent years, finishing 0-23 in each of the past two seasons.
 
Despite the challenge that lies ahead, Polak looks forward to the upcoming season.
 
“I’m really excited,” she said. “I think from what I’ve seen with open gyms, that we have the ability and skill to shake things up a bit this season.”
Polak was initially hired last spring as an assistant girls basketball coach, then applied to be a substitute social studies teacher in the district, before eventually being hired as the softball coach in the fall.
 
“I’m very surprised that being the assistant basketball coach has opened up so many career opportunities for me,” said Polak, who has recently   been a long-term substitute at the Woodburn Arts and Communications Academy. “It kind of seems like a backwards way to step into education, but my goal and my dream is to be a teacher.”
 
Polak replaces former coach Rex Meshelle, who stepped down after the 2009 season.
 
While this season will be her first as a varsity head coach, she has a great deal of experience, both on the field and in the dugout. After high school, Polak went on to play club softball at Washington State University.
 
WSU doesn’t have a varsity softball program, but Polak’s team competed against other club teams, Division II and III teams, and community colleges around the region. That was also her first experience as a coach, and since graduating, she has coached youth softball, in addition to her experience this past season at Lakeridge.
 
“I’ve been the head coach of a team, but I’ve never been the head coach of a program,” she said, pointing out that she hopes to instill a great deal of unity between the different levels of the program, including the junior varsity, freshman and youth levels.
She also hopes to be able to implement more opportunities for girls to play softball in the summer, noting the benefits youths gain from any sort of structured activity, ranging from sports to summer jobs.
 
On the field, she wants to give the girls “more weapons in their arsenal,” including fundamentals such as bunting, base running and showing them what a rise ball looks like.
Being a part of the girls basketball team has allowed Polak to get acquainted with some of the girls first-hand.
 
“I’m excited to be here. I’m excited to take on a whole program. I think that, at least from what I’ve seen, we have a lot of good athletes, and I’m shooting for a winning record.”
Practice for softball and other spring sports begins Feb. 22.

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