with Mark Gola

Most Recent Posts:

What I’ll miss most about my daughter playing soccer

What I’ll miss most about my daughter playing soccer

Nothing lasts forever and enjoying the experiences of my daughter, Kailee, playing soccer has been a pleasure. As she's grown and matured, it's become even more special. In no particular order, here is what I’ll miss most. I’ll miss going to the soccer field with her, just the two of us, to work on aspects of her game. Sometimes, we just worked on passing...

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A Hitter’s Future Depends on Vision

A Hitter’s Future Depends on Vision

The MLB Network aired its “Baseball Combine” in late June. The showcase was dominated by prospect performance in the 30-yard dash, standing broad jump, vertical leap, push-ups, etc. When evaluating hitters, numbers charting exit velocity, launch angle, and distance were featured. Somewhere off-camera, it’s likely those position players were also having...

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Hard Work and a Smile Lifts TMac to the Top

Hard Work and a Smile Lifts TMac to the Top

Defining success is far more subjective than identifying the keys to obtaining it. For Tom McCarthy, the ingredients have been simple - preparation, work ethic, and treating people the way you would like to be treated. A New Jersey native, McCarthy is recognizable to eyes and ears as the play-by-play television broadcaster for the Philadelphia Phillies. He...

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A chance to hit reset on sports

A chance to hit reset on sports

Sports have been eliminated from our day-to-day lives. A scenario that seemed inconceivable just a few weeks ago is a currently the “new normal.” Today, tomorrow, and for the foreseeable future, there are no sporting events. Our country has never encountered a sports stoppage of this magnitude – not even close. During World War II, the winter and summer...

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Will the NCAA truly help seniors find closure?

Will the NCAA truly help seniors find closure?

I’ll admit that when the Ivy League made its announcement to cancel all spring sports competition, I was mad. I felt sick for every senior sprinter, pitcher, attackman, and tennis player at every school who would miss out on their final season. My senior season in college was full of great moments and memories on and off the field. It also provided me with...

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A Competitive Edge: Learning to Play Small

A Competitive Edge: Learning to Play Small

Athletes are always looking for an edge. They consult speed coaches, visualization specialists, nutritionists, strength trainers – anything to give their game a little more fuel. These programs all have value, but one performance enhancement option that is floating out there for anyone to use and is free of charge. You just need to commit to the decision...

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Mark Gola is an author, former collegiate coach and athlete. He played Division I baseball at Rider University and was an assistant coach at Rider and Princeton University. Mark was an Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Communications at The College of New Jersey for nine years and worked full time at the Dave Gallagher Baseball Academy for six years. He has also coached high school soccer and baseball.

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