Virgen: Abbott continues to inspire
Jim Abbott would probably find this column inappropriate or at least ask for a different angle.
The former star pitcher, best known for his feats despite being born without a right hand, was the featured speaker at the 52nd annual Athletic Awards Breakfast on Tuesday morning at the Radisson Hotel in Newport Beach. The special program is put on by the Commodores Club and the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce.
He’d much rather the attention and spotlight be on the great athletes, from Corona del Mar High, Newport Harbor and Sage Hill School, who were honored.
Abbott, a Newport Beach resident, provided motivational messages. He also talked about the importance of community and the people who helped become a pro who threw a no-hitter for the Yankees in 1993 and won an Olympic gold medal in 1988.
Abbott grew up in Flint, Mich., where coaches and teachers made an impact on his life. He now does the same.
As a motivational speaker, he’s had an impact on Newport Beach. He’s delivered his message of overcoming adversity, and “doing the best with what’s been given to you,” to Newport Beach Little League and at Sage Hill, where his daughter, Maddy, attends and is a setter for the Lightning girls’ volleyball team.
“I really feel blessed to be a part of this community,” Abbott said. “I grew up in a smaller town, in Flint, Mich. I remember my dad telling me about the local athletes, the ones from the past and the present. I enjoyed those stories. Coming here and watching these athletes and watching my own kids, I would like to pass along those same kinds of stories. Even if I’m here and just say, ‘look at what these kids are doing.’ It feels good to be a part of that in some way.”
Abbott has two daughters. Ella, 12, also plays sports, competing in water polo and volleyball.
“We’re like everyone else around here, running around from game to game,” Abbott said. “Our weekends are nuts.”
Abbott said he’s proud of his daughters and enjoys that they give their best effort in their sports. As a former pro who achieved so much he said he does his best to guide them in his own style.
“I just try to chime in when appropriate and sort of let them find their own way,” Abbott said.
Abbott’s message to the Newport-Mesa athletes was similar, that finding your own way can lead to a sense of invincibility.
He told them: “If you can find your own way of doing things, if you can make the most of what you’ve been given, no matter where you go in this world, if you can believe in who you are and what you can do — Nothing is going to stop you. Nothing can stop you. You have to believe that.”
Megan Cid, the Sage Hill girls’ athletic director, said Abbott left a lasting impression when he spoke at the school.
She said she heard from several students, not just athletes, that the assembly was the best program the school has had.
“I love Jim Abbott’s message,” Cid said. “It’s great. It’s motivational. He really understands where a true athlete is coming from. He can take it all the way from the preschool level to the pro level. He can connect with all athletes. I think he’s a great speaker. We’re just blessed to have him as part of the Sage Hill community.”
Mike Zimmerman, the Newport Harbor athletic director and a former longtime baseball coach, also enjoyed Abbott.
“He was inspirational,” Zimmerman said. “I was a fan of his when he was a baseball player. His message was outstanding. It just shows what people are capable of doing, overcoming adversity. I believe he was an inspiration to everyone in the room. He was excellent.”
Thirty-three athletes were honored Thursday morning, 15 from CdM, 15 from Newport Harbor and, for the first time, three from Sage Hill
They were featured in Sunday’s Daily Pilot.
Cid said she was grateful Sage Hill could be a part of the program.
Everyone appeared grateful Abbott was a part of the program too. He stayed after the ceremony. He posed for photos, offered advice and listened to heartfelt gratitude expressed from his community. Well-deserved.