Gaye Hines: Coaching Interview Series

A Conversation with Coach Gaye Hines

The work has never stopped for Coach Gaye Hines. She made this very clear from the very first talks to set up this interview. While discussing her many ventures that keep her days full, her priorities were very clear and strictly regimented. Busier than ever in her retirement years, life for Gaye Hines moves too quickly to remain on the sidelines. From the very start, she has always wanted to be in the game. Whether it is athletics or life in general, Coach Hines has always believed in her ability to actively make worthwhile contributions. She has never forgotten how easy it is for time to willfully pass you by and whenever any opportunity reveals itself to her, Gaye Hines has always stepped up to accept the challenge. Regardless of the opponent, job, or societal obstacle, Coach Hines approaches it all with the same intensity and motivational drive. She sets that tone in every space she enters and has always managed to make her mark through sheer will and perseverance. The life story she uncovers is one built with the guiding foundational principles that challenge us all to keep pushing forward. Though she prefers to look ahead, I am grateful that Coach Hines took the time to pause and reflect upon her lasting impact that deserves full recognition and respect. 

MB: We’ll go ahead and start from the beginning. Where were you born and raised?

GH: Okay. I was born in Williamston, North Carolina and at a young age, like one or two, moved to Manteo and then Hurricane Donna came through and that ended us living in Manteo. That was back in 1960, I think. Then we moved to Elizabeth City, so I basically grew up in Elizabeth City.

MB: Describe that area when you were growing up, Elizabeth City, I guess that’s where you spent your childhood years.

GH: Yes, Elizabeth City. There’s a river there, so there’s a lot of water around. You know, I enjoyed being in Elizabeth City. I went to Northeastern High School and we were also Eagles. When I was growing up, at that time, they didn’t really have any female sports, per se. I grew up playing in the backyard with the boys and there was a park, which was two houses down from where we lived. So, every chance I got I was out there playing with the neighborhood kids and they were mostly guys. So that’s where I learned to play and my brother had a big effect on me, too, especially playing softball and baseball.

MB: What role would you say sports had in your life at that point? Obviously you said you grew up playing with the boys, I’m sure that toughened you up a little bit.

GH: (laughs)

MB: When did you start playing organized sports? Did that begin in your school years?

GH: Probably when I was about thirteen-years-old. They really didn’t have any leagues for the girls, young girls, at that time. So, I played in the women’s league and from there I started playing travel ball on weekends and like I said, Northeastern didn’t- I think the year after I graduated, which was 1974, is when they got the athletic teams for women.

MB: Wow.

GH: Which was kind of- it’s good, but in a way it was sad because when I was coming through there was probably at least twelve to fifteen really good female athletes and we used to travel around the area and play different high school teams like in basketball and stuff.

MB: So you didn’t get to play any high school sports?

GH: No high school sports. The only thing I could do in high school- I was in the band and they had a track team and I was on the track team and at that time they had what they called the softball throw, so I did the softball throw and I think I ran the 880.

MB: So, you do have a twin sister. Did you two play sports together growing up? And was there a competitive dynamic between the two of you?

GH: Yeah, we both played sports growing up. I can remember just practicing throwing in the yard with her and she didn’t really care for it too much because I threw- I’m not bragging- but I threw pretty hard. So yeah, we played together in the yard and stuff.

MB: When would you say the interest in coaching began for you? Was it in those early years playing sports and did you have any coaching figures to look up to?

GH: When I graduated from high school I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I think in the previous summers they had actually started some of the younger girls playing, so I ended up doing some officiating stuff with the parks and recreation. Some friends of mine that actually taught at- I went to COA, College of the Albemarle, and they actually talked me into trying it for a quarter or semester, and when I tried it, I liked it. So, I continued going and they actually had basketball for girls there. The other sports I played were just intramural sports. They didn’t have anything for the girls as far as softball. So again, us girls that played had to play with the guys.

MB: Where is that college located?

GH: In Elizabeth City.

MB: Did you major in something sports related? Did you automatically know you would be involved in that field?

GH: I transferred to East Carolina and when I went to East Carolina I played JV basketball and I played softball and I played volleyball. I was afraid I wasn’t going to make the team, because I had never really played any organized volleyball and I didn’t know the skills. So, I had to learn the skills, but I actually made the team. I sat the bench a lot, but hey, I did get playing time, but softball is my number one sport. I went on into physical education. As a matter of fact, Coach Jordan and I were in a couple of classes together.

MB: Oh, really? He also was a transfer there.

GH: Yeah. I went on and continued. I got my masters in Adaptive Physical Education and I just loved sports. I just kind of fell into the role of starting to coach.

MB: What was the athletic program at East Carolina like during your playing years there? How were those teams that you were involved with?

GH: Let’s see if I can remember how we did. We had a pretty good softball team and volleyball team, but there were some very good teams that we played, Duke University, I remember playing them and they had a girl that was- she could probably spike the ball ninety miles an hour. I don’t really remember what our records were when we were playing but we had pretty good teams. Some of the girls that played on the team were girls that I traveled and played with.

MB: Could you tell there was a gap in terms of the fundamental aspect of those sports because you didn’t play in high school? Could you tell if some of your other teammates had an upper hand in terms of their experience playing? Or did they not play either?

GH: I really don’t think they had the upper hand. I was actually co-captain on the team. So, I think playing travel ball as much as I did really helped and I don’t feel like they had the upper hand on me.

MB: You definitely caught up with them.

GH: Yeah, basically I played second base and third base. Third base is a hot-spot. I got hurt playing at ECU. A girl- we were playing at Campbell College and she was coming to third base, I was playing third that day, and I was braced, ready to tag her out. The throw came from center field, she put her elbow up, right through my mouth. It knocked me out, but guess what? When I came to, I had the ball in my glove. (laughs)

MB: That’s all that matters!

GH: She knocked me out, but she was out too!

MB: Good thing you had been toughened up all those years.

GH: Oh, Lord have mercy.

MB: So, what year did you begin coaching at West Craven and what was that hiring process like?

GH: I was going to graduate school at East Carolina and I actually started teaching and coaching at the middle school. That was ‘79-’80 and the PE teacher there, I don’t know why she left, but she left in the middle of the year. I was in the masters program and I had two or three classes at night so it just worked out that I interviewed for the job and got it. I continued to go to school and get my degree, also. In 1981-82 is when the ninth graders went from the middle school to the high school. So, when they went to the high school I went with them. Then I was there for the rest of my career.

MB: What was that balance like? You mentioned you were still going to school while you were coaching there, what was that like? I’m sure your days were pretty long from start to finish.

GH: Yeah, I mean it worked out good and also ended up, because I had night classes, it worked out really great. I had to drop the day classes, but I ended up going in the summers and finishing up. It was tough, but I’m the type of person where I’ve got to have something to do. I don’t know how to not work.

MB: That’s a good mindset to have. In what shape was the athletic program like at West Craven when you began there at the high school? In particular, the sports that you took over.

GH: At the middle school I coached track and I coached, believe it or not, they had a gymnastics team at the middle school when I first started and I was the gymnastics coach.

MB: That’s interesting.

GH: It was very interesting, because I’m not a gymnastics person. (laughs) So, I coached track and basketball to start with at West Craven and then I guess my best two sports were volleyball and softball. I continued in doing that.

MB: What level were the players that you inherited from the previous coach? Were they used to having a disciplined type of way of playing? Or was it just kind of a free-for-all?

GH: I can’t say it was a free-for-all type of deal, but I do remember coaching softball that I had some girls quit because I was trying to teach them how to slide and they didn’t like that. So, I had some people quit. But then, you know, you always have the ones that stick with you.

MB: For sure. Those are the ones you want to weed out anyways.

GH: Right, right.

MB: You want the ones who are going to be coachable.

GH: Yes. So, when I started coaching softball, the softball field was actually over behind the field house, behind the baseball field.

MB: Kind of tucked there in the back.

GH: It was tucked there and it was okay, but it really wasn’t what we needed. We switched over to fast-pitch because we started off in slow-pitch. That’s when we actually, me and the parents, got together and built that field out there. I remember one day, because they used to have driver’s education, so one day I was hitting infield/outfield and I looked up and a car came through the fence! The fence just kind of lifted up, the car came through the fence. I looked at the girls on the field and said, “run!” (laughs) and the car actually ended up between home plate and first base, so … 

MB: That’s when you know you need to rearrange your field area.

GH: Oh, yeah. Yeah.

MB: The state of women’s athletics in high school, did it improve since the years that you were in high school?

GH: Yeah. It’s definitely improved through the years and I think as I continue- I referee high school volleyball, and I continue to watch the sports and know what’s going on. There's been a big change for the better, because when I first started coaching it was very basic. So, as far as basics, especially with volleyball, that’s really improved tremendously because the girls didn’t know how to run an offense or defense in volleyball. It’s much more complicated than people that just actually watch, it’s more complicated than they know.

MB: I’m sure it’s much harder than it appears.

GH: Yeah, it is. Well you have to understand the different offenses and defenses, things like that.

MB: Did women's teams receive the same levels of support? Whether it was from the school or also the fan base.

GH: We had a great fan base, because the parents were really great and they really supported us. Now, did I feel like women’s athletes received the same attention as mens athletes? No. I don’t mean that in a nasty, ugly way at all, but no we didn’t.

MB: It’s the truth.

GH: It is the truth, because I think we wore the same uniforms, which I took good care of, we wore the same uniforms in softball for like ten years before we got another uniform. So, yeah, I think there was a difference. I do think there was a big difference, but I’m not saying that to be nasty or ugly because I do respect the other coaches that I worked with and also learned a lot from them along the way. 

MB: You’ve mentioned your involvement in various sports. How did that help you as a coach?

GH: I think that, as a coach, it’s important to win, but “winning” is not always winning in every game. I think that what you teach your players and what you learn from your players as you go along with them teaches them a lot of life lessons and how to survive. How to work together as a team. You know, and things don’t always go your way, and that’s how life is. It doesn’t always go your way. So, I think that a lot of life lessons are learned in coaching.

MB: Did a majority of your athletes play multiple sports for you? Did they just kind of follow you around?

GH: Most of my volleyball players also played softball. I tried really hard to get my volleyball players, since that was at the beginning of school and because they were athletes, to also play basketball. Some of them just weren’t interested in playing basketball, but I think that they could’ve helped the teams if they’d have played all the sports that they could’ve played.

MB: Nowadays, you see more and more high school athletes kind of just focusing on sport, whether the coach has encouraged that or not, but what are some of the benefits of being a versatile athlete playing multiple sports and how do you think that helps them become a better athlete?

GH: It helps with your coordination, your agility, and just to actually become a better athlete. The more you play sports and the more you’re involved with practices, then the better you become. A lot of the skills from one sport carry over into another. We didn’t really have weight training for girls back then, but just the fact that playing volleyball and having to use your arms a lot, as far as setting and hitting and stuff like that, also strengthens your shoulders which was good as far as them going into softball and playing softball.

MB: Regardless of the sport, how would you describe the style of play that your teams represented when you coached?

GH: I was the type of coach that always believed in not only giving it your best, but believing in yourself and making that play that you never thought you could make because you give one-hundred ten percent, not just one hundred percent. The girls played that way because they knew that’s what I expected from them and whether they won or lost, they gave their best on the field.

MB: Did your coaching methods adjust based on the specific players you had on your teams? Or did the players have to adapt to the expected style of play that you wanted to implement?

GH: Well, I think you can have an expected style of play, but you also have to be flexible. Sometimes some girls want to play certain positions, but it didn’t always work out that they could play that position because I had to put the players where they could help the team the most. But basically I think that we all adapted to each other. Yeah I expected a lot out of them and I think you have to.

MB: What was your team’s rate of success during your tenure there? Did you have consistent successful seasons, in terms of the wins and losses?

GH: We went to- and I can’t remember dates or anything- but there’s a lot of times where we went to the playoffs. Sometimes we made it to the second round, third round. We didn’t always make it to the playoffs, but there were times when we did.

MB: When you experience less success, when you had a down year, how did you walk the line of encouragement while also providing the needed motivation for your players to push through those struggles?

GH: I think a lot of their motivation came not only from me, but from them and their parents. There’s one thing that you can’t do with an athlete that was the hardest thing for me, and I’m sure the other coaches probably at some point felt this way. I had a lot of desire in my heart, but you can’t give desire to someone. You know, you can teach them all the skills in the world and you can try to push them all to be the best they can be and always play up to their potential, but if they don’t have the desire in their heart to do that then you can’t give them that. That was always one of the hardest things for me, that I couldn’t give them the same desire that I had.

MB: And that’s another life lesson, too. You can only plant the seeds and hope they grow. It’s really a choice they each have to make.

GH: Yep, and we worked hard at practice every day. I think the fact that they did have to work hard in practice has taught them in life that you have to work hard if you’re going to achieve things that you want.

MB: For sure. So, how were you able to balance your personal life with your professional life as a coach with the time demands that the profession has to offer. Were you able to separate the two or did they kind of blend in with each other?

GH: I think they blended in but honestly, I spent a lot of time at West Craven High School. A whole lot of time. Especially with softball because it was very demanding. We built that field out there and not only did I coach the girls, I kept the field, cut the grass, ran the concession stand. So, being organized, and I think you teach that to your team, too. You have to be organized to get things done. I had to stay organized, because I would have never been able to do everything I did. I’d practice, cut grass, leave in time to get to Sam’s to buy the stuff for the concession stand for the next day.

MB: Nonstop.

GH: Yeah, it was nonstop and a lot of times it would be 11:00 at night before I’d even leave school, because when you go on trips and you get back I would never leave a kid. I’d sit with them until their parents or somebody got there and in a lot of cases I ended up taking kids home. I’m sure the other coaches did too.

MB: You’re doing multiple jobs in one day.

GH: You’re their mom, too, in a lot of cases. A lot of times you spend more time with them during the season than their own family does.

MB: Were you able to compartmentalize your wins and losses as a coach? Did they affect your daily outlook as a teacher and also your life outside of school?

GH: I think that, as far as teaching, I had the same desire and motivation as I did on the field with the girls, coaching them. I’m the type of person- I’m a giver, not a taker. So, I always gave everything I had. I always tried to lead by example and I always tried to, no matter what was going on, I always tried to find something positive in everything.

MB: That’s a really valuable thing.

GH: I know as a teacher- because you never know sometimes what’s going on with these kids at home- and I’d always stand at the gym door, hold the door open and give high-fives and stuff as they walked in. Sometimes I felt like that might be the only smile they got during the day or at least at home. And I’m not saying all homes are bad, we’ve got a lot of good homes, a lot of excellent homes, but I always try to treat everybody fairly, no matter who they were or where they came from. 

MB: That’s a really powerful thing that I’m sure a lot of those kids have never forgotten over the years. There are many examples, though, of wasted potential at the high school level, whether it’s in athletics or academics. What leadership methods did you use to keep your athletes and other students on the right path? I guess leading by example, as you mentioned, is a big part of that.

GH: Yeah, I led by example. We used to keep up with their grades and classes, it seems like we also had an after school study hall so they could get some of their work done. I’d follow up on grades and things like that. I know that still continues today, and probably more today than it did then. I actually did start doing that type of thing with the athletes.

MB: In what ways would you say you evolved as a coach over the course of your career? As high school athletics changed, did you change as a coach?

GH: I went to a lot of camps myself so I would know the newest techniques and the newest drills and what worked best. Then tried different drills with the girls. So, I think educating yourself and continuing to educate yourself as you go along was important. So, I could show them new things that they could do to get better. The biggest change actually was the change from slow pitch softball to fast pitch softball.

MB: Can you describe how that made the entire game different?

GH: I actually played slow-pitch softball. So, it was a big change for me also. That really put me into going to different camps and stuff to learn what they needed to do- like your pitcher and your catcher and the drills that they could do to get better, and your infielders, outfielders. I went to a lot of camps during the summer, and I think they do more of that now. A lot of girls play during the summer time with travel ball and stuff, too. But I also know that there were times when I had some really good athletes that played so much that they kind of got burned out. 

MB: Yeah, I’ve seen that a lot just with some of my friends in high school. You know, they start playing baseball at four, five years old and by the time they reach their junior or senior year of high school, if they realize they’re not going to get a scholarship to play, they just kind of lose that desire and interest.

GH: Right, right. So, I think you can get burned out. You’ve got to really love something to continue to do it. You know teenagers, when you’re going and traveling and playing every weekend and not putting it down, I think it’s important. I was the type of person that I loved going every weekend and playing, but then it’s not for everyone. I do know I’ve got some of my former players, some of my players that played softball with me when we built that field have kids playing on that field now. So, to me that means a lot because that’s why the field was built. It was built for the girls so they could have somewhere nice to play and for the future players.

MB: It’s a generational thing.

GH: Yeah, when I coached softball and volleyball, I coached the JV and the varsity teams. I did have help from the community, a lot of people from the outside that would actually come and help me.

MB: You obviously began your coaching career at a fairly young age. Can you describe how the relationships with your players developed as that age gap widened from start to finish over the course of your career. Did you notice a change in how you were able to relate to your players? Or did that remain consistent regardless of age? 

GH: No, I think as you get older you learn more about yourself, too. You know, I actually started coaching when I was like twenty-two-years-old. 

MB: That’s been a steady theme throughout these interviews. All were in their first year out of college, coaching people that were only three, four years older than themselves.

GH: Yes, you’re right. I know that I- especially with social media- you see stuff on Facebook and you see that one of your players just turned fifty years old and I’m like, “Oh my God!” You know, because I’m like, “Whew!” So, a lot of times you’re only a few years older than the ones that you’re coaching. I didn’t really- I don’t really remember seeing it as being a problem, because when you’re younger you’ve got more energy and you kind of put more into it, but I didn’t see it as a problem. 

I didn’t really have problems with the athletes. I was very fortunate, actually, I think, with the girls teams because I was never a political type of coach. I mean, if you were good enough to play the position, then you played the position. I didn’t care what grade you were in. Holly White being one of those players. When she came into high school to play softball, she, as a freshman, made the varsity team. She wasn’t the only one, I could name a lot more, as a matter of fact, with Holly, I had some players quit because I had some parents to say because their girls played the year before and if Holly made the varsity team, then they thought that their girl should make the varsity team. That wasn’t the deal. I went by talent. I didn’t care who your mom and daddy, granddaddy, I didn’t care who they were.

MB: Who they were was not going to help you or your team.

GH: It’s not, no. Which, if that’s the way they felt, then they weren’t really going to help the team anyways.

MB: Another example of wanting to weed those kinds of mindsets out.

GH: Yeah, you do. I mean they weeded their own self out is what happened, because I wasn’t going to let what they said to me change the way I felt.

MB: Would you consider that as some most challenging parts of the job? Dealing with the “political” aspects of coaching? 

GH: One of the challenging parts, because I coached JV and varsity, was being organized and trying to figure out, “okay, how can I keep both teams busy at the same time, but be able to keep my eye on what’s going on.”

MB: Because basically you have a double dose with everything.

GH: Especially with like, I mean volleyball was easier because you’re in the gym together. Softball was a little bit different, because I’d have one group doing their batting skills and hitting in the cage and the other group would be on the field taking infield/outfield, and then there were times when I worked them all together if we were working on certain skills. So I think the organization of things is very important.

MB: What would you say were some of the most rewarding parts of being a coach?

GH: I’d have to say that it was rewarding to just be able to work with the kids and try to get them to be better. To give their best. To learn to work together with each other. I mean, I just thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s good when you get a job that you thoroughly love. Win, lose, or draw, I loved it. I never gave up no matter what kind of season we were having. Which I tried to teach the girls that they never gave up. Like I said, the parents, and I know I mentioned some of the parents earlier but that was only a small, slight few- maybe two out of the whole time I was coaching. I did have their support and I felt that I had their support. 

MB: How often do you keep in touch with some of your former players and what impact does that make on you to still continue having those relationships?

GH: Well, when they dedicated the softball field, I was able to get in touch and see- not all the athletes could come because everybody has a life and things that they’re doing with their life. As far as the impact, seeing your athletes and students actually succeed in life is what’s important. I don’t really keep up with them all. It’s kind of like you have friends that you never see, but you know they’re always there and that once you're back with them it’s just like it never ended. So, I do talk with some of my athletes from time to time. Basically, Facebook is where I keep in touch with a lot of former students and athletes.

MB: Was it difficult to make the transition away from coaching? As that last season wrapped up and you moved on from there. How difficult was that?

GH: Bittersweet. Not only is that bittersweet, but making the decision to retire from teaching was also bittersweet. As a matter of fact, Coach Jones and I both retired the same year.

MB: Did you know going into that year that it would be your last one? 

GH: It was probably more towards the middle of the year. I had been considering it, but didn’t really know if I was going to do it.

MB: What led to that decision?

GH: I think once you teach and coach for a certain amount of years there just comes a time when it’s time for you to actually maybe do something else. Once you teach a certain amount of years and coach a certain amount of years, your pay is not going to go up any higher. When I retired, I brought home maybe fifty dollars less than what I did when I was teaching. So, it’s very close there and I think the fact that Coach Jones was retiring at the same time and we talked about it. It made it easier because I had my buddy retiring with me.

MB: A good one to go out with.

GH: Yeah. 

MB: In what ways were you able to stay involved in athletics since your retirement?

GH: Oh wow. I’ve always been involved in athletics, even when I was teaching and coaching I was refereeing softball in the parks and recreation league in Greenville and I did that for, I don’t know, twenty-five/thirty years. When I stopped coaching volleyball that’s when I started refereeing volleyball. So, I stay involved in the volleyball program and in sports by doing that.

MB: Are you able to see the game from a different perspective being right there on the court?

GH: It was a big difference. As a coach and then as a referee, it’s a big difference. 

MB: I guess you have a little bit more compassion for the coaches, I guess.

GH: Maybe for the referees! (laughs) 

MB: (laughs) From all those years back in the day, I’m sure.

GH: Yeah. The transition from coaching volleyball to refereeing volleyball, I think that you actually learn more about the sport when you’re refereeing. Especially, I mean, as a coach you know the rules and stuff, but then there’s times when you don’t understand, “Why was this called like this?” But as a referee, you have to learn every rule, then you’re saying, “Oh okay, that’s what that was all about.”

MB: All the ins-and-outs.

GH: And as a coach, you’re watching the whole game. I’m not saying that as a referee you don’t watch the whole game, but you, if you’re the R1- which is the referee on the stand, you have a certain job that you’re supposed to do. As the R2 on the floor, then you have to be the one that’s basically really watching the net. So as a referee, when I was the R2 I felt like I had to put blinders on to keep me from watching everything. So, from coaching to refereeing, you know, you had to make sure you were watching what you were supposed to be.

MB: Last few to kind of finish up, how would you describe the state of women’s athletics at the high school level, and just overall in this day and age?

GH: I think the talent and skill is better. I think they’re involved in a lot of other programs during the summer, which is making them better athletes. A lot of them travel and play volleyball on weekends and there’s a lot of beach volleyball going on. So, I feel like that the more you play- whether it’s beach volleyball or regular volleyball, or softball, that the more you play, the better you get.

MB: What areas do you think need the most improvement for women’s athletics, particularly in the school setting? Whether it’s on a support level or competition.

GH: It’s kind of hard for me to say, since I’m not in the school setting. I mean, honestly I haven’t substituted in like three years. I just think getting the support they need from the staff and administration is very important. I think that women and girls should be treated equal with the guys and I’m not too sure that that’s totally what’s happening. I think it’s important that the girls get the same opportunities and support. I do realize that your football teams bring in a lot of the money, which also supports the other sports that are in the school system, and I do understand that. But, we did a lot of fundraising to get the things- a whole lot of fundraising, to get the things we needed.

MB: Yet another responsibility.

GH: Oh yeah. And as a retiree now, I continue to work. I continue to get up at five o’clock in the morning because it's just a habit. I have to stay busy. Even when I was teaching and coaching, in the summer time two weeks would go by and I was like, “Oh what am I going to do now?” I worked in the summer time too, and I’m sure some of the other coaches did too.

MB: You mentioned that you aren’t substituting anymore, but prior to you finishing up your time doing that, did you notice any changes in the school setting from your time there on campus? I have many memories of you in several of my classes in middle school and some of high school.

GH: I think it was to my advantage as a substitute that I did teach and coach at West Craven High School because I taught your moms, your dads, your brothers, your sisters, your cousins. And I think that that helped me, I know, as a substitute, that when you go in to substitute a class that if the kids can get over on you, they’re going to do it. So, I appeared to be very strict and strong, but I also have a very soft side. I also believe that discipline is very important. The biggest change I saw through my years of teaching was discipline. It seems like a lot of times people bent over backwards for the kids that were getting trouble. When that happens I felt like maybe some of the “good” kids kind of followed that path. So I think that discipline was the biggest thing I saw that I thought needed to be tighter.

MB: You definitely want to set a tone when you walk in.

GH: You don’t want your students that are causing trouble to become your role models. I’m thinking the biggest thing that I didn’t particularly care for is that, you know, expectations need to be higher. They need to remain high. You can’t lower yourself. I must say that there’s good and bad in everyone and everybody has to make choices. As far as teaching health and PE, I always tried to teach the things that helped students make good choices and understand that there’s always consequences, whether they’re good consequences or bad consequences. So, you know, it’s always good to see your students be successful in life.

MB: Lastly, can you describe what the moment was like when the West Craven softball field was named in your honor and when you found out they were going to do that?

GH: I know that all the hard work I put into that field, I mean it was a whole lot of work, a lot of blood, sweat, and tears out there. I was very happy. At that point in time my dad was in the hospital. I might cry. (laughs).

MB: Oh, it’s all good.

GH: My dad was in the hospital and I remember Todd McMillen calling. Originally, I wanted to name it Peppermint Park because that was my nickname when I was playing softball, Peppermint. But, my dad was in the hospital and when Todd McMillen called me I was at the hospital with my dad and I just looked at him and said, “Daddy, what do you want me to name the field?” And he said, “Gaye Hines Field.” So that’s what I did. I did it because that’s what he wanted. He actually passed away the next week.

MB: That’s a really special moment. Just such a great reward for all the time you spent out there and just to see, as you mentioned, some of those former players show up there.

GH: Oh yeah, there were a lot of former players and even some of the people that I used to play softball with came. So, it was very rewarding and exciting and an honor.