Villa Madonna softball coach Dave Meier and his wife, Jen, pose with their daughters after the team’s final home game this season. The daughters are, left to right, Camryn, Brooke and Alexa. (Photo provided)
By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Dave Meier has been spending Father’s Day at fast-pitch softball tournaments for the last 10 years. He coaches a summer select team that his three daughters have all played on. It eats up a lot of his free time, but he considers it a privilege that he could not pass up.
“It’s been a great experience as a parent and as a coach,” he said. “There’s not many people who can say they’ve been able to share and make as many memories on and off the field as we have.”
Meier, a tax manager for St. Elizabeth Healthcare, has done more than coach his daughters with the Northern Kentucky Bandits select team in the summer. They also played for him as head coach of the Villa Madonna Academy fast-pitch softball team over the last seven years.
His oldest daughter, Alexa, 21, is now a senior on the Midway University softball team. Brooke, 18, graduated from Villa Madonna last month and will continue her playing career at Mount St. Joseph University. Camdyn, 15, just finished her freshman year, so she’ll have three more softball seasons with her dad.
Coach Meier conducts a pre-game meeting with his players. (Photo provided)
When his youngest daughter graduates from high school in 2022, Meier will have spent 25 years as a varsity head coach in softball and baseball. There have been some hardships along the way, but the 44-year-old coach, his wife, Jen, and their three daughters have overcome them together.
Meier’s coaching career began in 1994 when he launched the varsity baseball program at Villa Madonna. He had just graduated from Thomas More College, where he was a record-setting pitcher.
“I always was blessed with great coaches growing up through high school and college, and I felt it was time for me to give back,” he said. “I believe you have to be a giver in life and if you want the sport you love to continue, you need to offer the youth of today the same or better opportunities than I had growing up.”
Meier also got married the year he graduated from college. He and his wife, Jen, will celebrate their 25th anniversary next month. Her unwavering support has been an important factor during his coaching career.
Jen is a cancer survivor. She battled the disease for three years when their daughters were younger. Meier said his wife’s cancer has been in remission for more than six years now.
“While this was ongoing, the girls, who were ages 12, 9 and 6 at the time, were asked to try to understand and put their faith and trust in the doctors that their mom would be cured,” Meier said. “We were also fortunate to have been surrounded by great family and a small group of friends who helped pick up the slack when we needed it. The fact that Jen is still here and beat this terrible disease, I am eternally grateful.”
Meier and two of his daughters make hand signals for 100 victories after he reached that coaching milestone this season. (Photo provided)
Meier stepped down as Villa Madonna’s baseball coach after 12 seasons because two of his daughters were beginning to play tee-ball. He got involved with fast-pitch softball as Notre Dame’s head coach from 2009-2011. Then he took charge of the softball program at Villa Madonna and his daughters enrolled as students.
This spring, Meier surpassed the 100 mark in career wins as Villa Madonna’s softball coach and the Vikings won the Division III conference championship.
Brooke was one of the state’s leading hitters with a .602 batting average and she had a 12-8 record as the team’s starting pitcher. The multi-talented senior also earned varsity letters in volleyball, soccer, baseball and track during her high school career. She’s considered one of the best all-around athletes to come out of Villa Madonna
“The thing about Brooke is she loves sports,” her dad said. “She loves anything that has to do with competing in any sport, and she’s pretty much tried them all.”
All three of Meier’s daughters were born with his side of the family’s genetic blood disorder. He said they each underwent surgery to have their spleen and gall bladder removed at different times in their life. Camdyn had surgery last week and is still recovering.
Meier also had to deal with a medical scare of his own. He developed heart problems that required quadruple bypass surgery in July of 2014. But he didn’t let that end his coaching career.
“I have always tried to provide those who wanted to play an opportunity to play baseball or softball,” he said. “In some cases, I have coached players who were cut by other organizations or coaches but loved the game and just needed another chance.”
Meier said coaching his own daughters “comes with some baggage,” but the positives have outweighed the negatives.
“It’s just a blessing and an opportunity that a lot of parents don’t get,” he said. “They’re good kids, they’re tough kids and they’re all great students. It’s easy to be their dad. They make me look good.”
How about leaving photo credit to the. great Tony Wagner?
Yes, Tony Wagner provided the awesome pictures.