Winning State Title Favorite Memory - Interview with Cal Ripken Jr.

Editor's Note: This interview with Cal Ripken Jr. was conducted by David Hoch, a member of the High School Today Publications Committee and athletic director at Loch Raven High School in Baltimore County, Maryland.

Q. You have a legendary work ethic. What else did you gain by participating in high school athletics?

Ripken: Well, for me, high school was a big step. I was an undersized kid my first two years and I didn't think I would ever make it. As a freshman, I was so undersized and overmatched physically. I had a growth spurt just before my junior year, but I guess high school is where I first started to understand how to make adjustments and how to persevere.

Q. What is your favorite memory of playing high school sports?

Ripken: Winning the state championship in baseball. It was a great feeling and I was the winning pitcher in the title game.

Q. You also played soccer. Did playing another sport help your athletic development? If so, how?

Ripken: Absolutely! I always encourage young athletes to play multiple sports as it definitely helps with your athleticism. Soccer help-ed me with my stamina and my balance among other things.

Q. Did you consider yourself as a leader on the field in high school? Did this come naturally for you or did it evolve over the years?

Ripken: I think it developed over time. There are so many versions of what people consider to be leadership. I was never very vocal on the field and I never wanted to show up my teammates. I believe that real leadership comes in the quiet times when you speak to a teammate one on one and he knows that you are helping him for the right reasons - not for the media and not for others to see - but because you really care.

Q. Obviously, with your dad being a coach and your brother also being an athlete, deciding to play in high school was probably a natural extension of being a Ripken. Why should young people participate in athletics?

Ripken: Despite popular opinion, dad never pushed any of us to play sports. He helped us in whatever we decided to do. For Billy and me, it was baseball. I think that athletics teaches you so much that can apply to what you will do for a living later in life. Aside from the health benefits, you learn important lessons such as teamwork and leadership – things like that.

Q. With all of the problems that are currently being reported concerning some professional athletes, do you feel that athletes have an obligation to be role models for young people?

Ripken: I don't believe that anyone has an obligation in that area; however, I encourage athletes to understand that their words and actions carry meaning and they should be cognizant of that.

Q. From the youth leagues on through your professional career, you have played for many coaches. In your experience, what makes a good high school coach?

Ripken: Teaching is a key element to coaching and a "win-at-all-costs" mentality isn't good at any of the younger levels. Use practice to teach, and then when the game arrives, let the kids play. Find a good time after the fact to break down what went right and wrong during the game.

Q. If you could wave a magic wand, what would you like to see on the high school sports scene?

Ripken: Just more kids playing all sports and enjoying all that sports has to offer.

Q. How did you manage to balance competitiveness and the desire to win and, all the while, demonstrating good sportsmanship, class and a respect for the game?

Ripken: Early in my professional career, when I first made it to the majors, I threw my helmet down and made a scene after striking out. After the game, a teammate, Ken Singleton, took me into the video room and made me watch the replay of my tirade and asked me if I liked how it looked. That was a great lesson and it always stayed with me. I believe you can play at the highest level of competition and still stay under control.

Q. How would you describe the ideal parent of a high school athlete?

Ripken: Someone who encourages and supports their child while, at the same time, not pushing them too much and standing over them to make them practice or play. If you do that to your child, they will be playing for the wrong reasons and the first chance they have to stop playing when you aren't standing over them, they will take. The passion for the sport needs to come from within.