Syl S. Ada, the coach of Kagman Lions’ junior and senior teams usually refuses to take credit for such a great accomplishments. He would rather recognize the sacrifices and dedication of each player for not only winning the championship title but also for striving to balance their time for school and their passion for baseball.
When asked to which would he attribute it when the Kagman Lions senior division defeated the Fielders and won the first Saipan Little League championship for the first time, Syl never mentioned about his good coaching.
“We have players of All-Stars caliber and everybody did great,” he said in an interview after the game.
It’s the players that always get the credit. He always says that Kagman kids are very talented and he is honored to have the opportunity to be a part of the ball club.
Syl’s vision of success is different from others. He feels that winning a championship is not the ultimate success.
This was what he instilled in the minds of his players when none of the Kagman Lions in three divisions made it in the finals during the 2009 Little League season.
What mattered most was when the boys did all their best and all the Lions in three divisions made it past the first round of the playoffs.
The most memorable moment, Syl recalled was when the Lions major division upset the then pennant champions Red Sox to finish fourth in the league.
In the junior division that same year, the Lions finished third and the senior Lions came second.
The most impressive part of the 2009 season was when every player of the Lion’s baseball club was promoted to the next grade level at school. Also, no one got in trouble with the law.
All the players in the Lion’s roster are members of the Kagman Community. Syl expressed hope that fans and parents will continue to look beyond their competitive nature and focus on the progress of the team and the individual players.
A juvenile probation supervisor by profession, Syl who works at Division of Youth Services has been instrumental in helping the young generation deal with adversity and get back on track to become productive members of the society.
Also an avid golfer, (he is a member of the Amigos Golfer Association), a family man and a busy parent, he unselfishly managed to put his personal leisurely activities on hold to coach the Kagman Lions junior and senior league divisions.
On a daily basis, coach Syl is faced with the challenges of shaping the lives of juveniles who have crossed the system for a number of reasons.
He believes that every single youth deserve the opportunity to right their wrongs.Many of these youths lack the guidance.
So giving them the second, the third or even the fourth chance opens up doors for them to learn from their mistakes and become a better person.
It is Syl’s passion to work with young energetic youth.He feels that coaching youth in his community is being proactive, as it keeps them busy and away from temptations in making irresponsible decisions in their lives.
Syl started out as an active parent back in 2008 when his son joined the Kagman Lions majors division.The manager, Wallace Emul noticed his commitment and dedication to helping his son enhance his skills and invited him to be a part of the coaching team for Kagman.
His first experienced was coaching first base.Since then Syl continues to enhance his coaching skills.His goal is to be able to reach all players and help them to develop their fundamental skills to a level in which they can compete at a national level and beyond.
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