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What a difference a year makes in our lives. The spring of 2020 was a tumultuous time of fear, isolation and the unknown. We felt deprived of many things, and as the world was on lockdown, so was “America’s favorite pastime” – BASEBALL. Now here we are a full year later, and the world has done an amazing job at adapting to our new lives of constant change. It is going to be an exciting summer, and
Sportingnews.com the prospect of watching our favorite
baseball teams come alive again is invigorating! What makes this year most exciting is that the Major League Baseball organization has a new addition to its coaches lineup. Who, you ask? Please allow me to present the first female full-time Major League Baseball assistant coach in history. Such an amazing, exciting time for women in sports.
Alyssa Nakken was born on July 13, 1990 and grew up in Woodland, California. Alyssa was the only girl with two older brothers born to Robert and Gayle Nakken. Alyssa had an interest in the sport at the early age of 5, playing t-ball for her hometown team. Alyssa is a natural in all sports, and it is noted that she played volleyball, basketball and softball at Woodland High School. Alyssa attended Sacramento State University, where she majored in Psychology. During her time at Sacramento State, Alyssa also played first base on the softball team. She was not just a player but also the team captain Gvwire.com and was the four-time “Academic All-American.” What is the significance of an Academic All-American? It is a student who excels not only with their academic performance but also their athletic performance. This is a very difficult achievement for a college student to establish a balance between sports, academic demands and social life in college.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology degree, Alyssa furthered her academic studies with a master’s degree in sports management from the University of San Francisco in 2015. Alyssa began to develop her professional career skills after her master’s program by gaining experience in a multitude of roles that included athletic marketing at California State University; a financial planner with Northwestern Mutual; personal softball instructor at Woodland Girls Fastpitch; ticket associate with the Oakland Raiders; and community manager at DIAKADI. All of Alyssa’s roles enabled her to gain experience and confidence before her operations position, in which she was responsible for the team’s health and wellness with the San Francisco Giants.
It was toward the end of 2019, and Alyssa was contemplating her long-term plan with the Giants, and there had recently been some changes in the organization. Enter new manager Gabe Kapler. Alyssa made the bold and courageous decision to schedule a lunch with some of the team executives to discuss her future goals with the team. Before long, and unbeknownst to Alyssa, she was interviewing for a position that would be life-changing. In January of 2020 Alyssa would be making history by being offered the assistant coach position for a Major League Baseball team. Sadly, the news was overshadowed by a pandemic. However, Alyssa embraced her new role and
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used every opportunity to learn, prepare and train during the shutdown. Alyssa appears to thrive with new challenges and appreciates the intensity and demands of the baseball arena.
I had the opportunity to watch a podcast interview with Alyssa Nakken, and she noted that she had connected with another female who made history in the NFL. They have become close and have been able to process the challenges associated with being a woman in a male-dominated sport arena. Alyssa also noted that all of the male coaches, administrative staff and players have welcomed her onto the field. Additionally, she has had other coaches mentor her in a positive and respectful manner, for which she admits she is grateful. Alyssa has a dynamic and energizing spirit. Her drive is contagious on and off the field. Upon observation from interviews with Alyssa and on-the-field footage, she has great chemistry on the field and with other sports journalists. Alyssa is quickly gaining respect from her coaching peers with her knowledge of the game and her hard work and determination to bring her team to victory. Even if Alyssa Nakken is not coaching your favorite team, she is a coach to follow. She is a fierce competitor and yet with a background in psychology and sports health and wellness, she has the knowledge and talent to effectively communicate with people and meet them on their “playing field.”
In her podcast interview Alyssa shared how she had an interest in learning how to surf. Alyssa is not afraid of adventure. She reported that after attending a friend’s wedding, she got on a plane and flew to Panama, where she had planned to spend a week learning how to surf. Raised in California, she was not near the coast. Alyssa had immersed herself in the sport and for an entire week she surfed from sunrise and sunset. She made a choice to connect with nature and with a sport that has not only physical but psychological demands. Through the experience, Alyssa has become passionate about surfing and admits that she is still in the beginner phase but surfs in Pacifica every chance she can get. As a former health and wellness representative for the Giants, Alyssa has found a way to maintain some self-care through adventure and spontaneity.
As we open the doors to new beginnings and new opportunities, may we remember that Alyssa Nakken has shown us to not be afraid to put yourself out there, and that life is an adventure and we need to take time to savor every opportunity and experience that comes before us. Alyssa has entered into the elite class of women coaches and has shown young girls that the future is limitless! As Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” Now, “let’s play ball!” Scroll.in
Rita King, LCSW is a mental health clinician providing psychotherapy services to adults and children. Rita has worked with individuals with mental illness in the community mental health setting, criminal justice system and private practice setting. Rita is a “De-escalation for Individuals with Special Needs” training facilitator and has trained approximately 1,200 law enforcement professionals to date. Rita is also a CIT trained mental health professional. Rita has a strong passion for women’s history and in her free time she continues to raise awareness of the importance of women’s history through lectures and community speaking engagements.
