By David Nuckolls, COM 301
Edited and posted by Rebekah Larisey, COM 303
Some sports teams are willing to change anything to turn their season around, including their hair.
In an effort to unify the team, members of the Berry College baseball team and head coach David Beasley dyed their hair blond.
Berry College pitcher Chris Minney said the whole idea started while the team was on a road trip during Spring Break.
“We were looking for something that would bring us together as a team,” Minney said.
The baseball team's new platinum appearance coincided with a six game winning streak where they defeated Faulkner University once, Thomas University twice, Belhaven College once and Auburn University-Montgomery twice. The Viking's offense exploded, scored more runs in these games than in any game this season.
The players asked the assistant coaches what it would take for them to dye their hair. The coaches’ response was that they would need to win two more games. Despite the additional motivation, the Berry College baseball team could only muster a single victory.
However, the short-lived winning streak had an impact on the team instantly, which remained with them for the rest of the season.
Edited and posted by Rebekah Larisey, COM 303
Some sports teams are willing to change anything to turn their season around, including their hair.
In an effort to unify the team, members of the Berry College baseball team and head coach David Beasley dyed their hair blond.
Berry College pitcher Chris Minney said the whole idea started while the team was on a road trip during Spring Break.
“We were looking for something that would bring us together as a team,” Minney said.
The baseball team's new platinum appearance coincided with a six game winning streak where they defeated Faulkner University once, Thomas University twice, Belhaven College once and Auburn University-Montgomery twice. The Viking's offense exploded, scored more runs in these games than in any game this season.
The players asked the assistant coaches what it would take for them to dye their hair. The coaches’ response was that they would need to win two more games. Despite the additional motivation, the Berry College baseball team could only muster a single victory.
However, the short-lived winning streak had an impact on the team instantly, which remained with them for the rest of the season.
Photo contributed by Courtney Hiddleson
The Berry College baseball team shows off their
new hairstyles during Berry's Spring Break.
The Turning Point
Beasley said that the unique hairdos came at a pivotal point of the season as the team struggled with inconsistency and that he was happy with anything that would unify the team.
“The hair brought the guys closer together,” Beasley said.
Minney said the change in hairstyle emphasized the team's commitment and support to one other.
“It was the concept of I got your back, you got mine,” Minney said.
Shawn Kimberley, also a pitcher for the baseball team, said that the hairstyle change brought back some personal love for the game and had a tremendous impact on the team’s unity.“We started playing as a team instead of a bunch of individuals,” Kimberley said. “It was both a unity thing and a bonding thing.”
Beasley said that the team needed to unify and, in particular, focus as a team. He later added that he felt that the team had some walls to tear down over personal appearance making it easier for the team to work together as a whole.
“We were able to put our appearance aside and do something for each other,” Beasley said.
After the team put their appearance aside, they became very successful by going 16-5 in their games following the hairstyle change. The team is currently 31-14 overall with a 13-11 record in conference games going into their final four games.
Beasley said he felt this motivation would not last as the players would have to find another way, besides appearance, to respect each other. Beasley said that he was not sure if this would teach future teams a lesson, but that he hopes this experience will be an example for all sports teams at Berry College.
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