If Aimee Perry and Jessica Gross asked their husbands to stop at a store to pick up a loaf of bread or a gallon of milk on the way home and they said they didn’t have time, that is understandable.
Tim Perry and Herb Gross helped coach spring sports teams they had a child on, and they also had another child playing on a team this spring.
Tim was an assistant baseball coach at Seymour High School, his son, Bret, was a member of that baseball team and his daughter, Alyssa, was a member of the softball team.
Herb was an assistant softball coach at Trinity Lutheran High School, his daughter, Kamzi, was a member of the softball team and his son, Kowan, was on the baseball team.
Both Herb and Tim say they have put a lot of miles on their cars following their children not only this spring but in fall and winter sports and during club ball in the summer.
Kamzi also plays volleyball at Trinity and is on a club team, and Kowan also plays basketball for the Cougars.
Alyssa also played soccer and basketball at Seymour, and Bret played football and basketball.
Alan Perry, Tim and Aimee’s oldest son, was a senior at SHS when Alyssa was a freshman.
“There was a little of (overlapping) then, and she was playing varsity softball, but it didn’t seem to be as involved and as busy as it is now,” Tim said. “I’m pretty sure she was starting varsity, but I didn’t feel as obligated to get to them if I didn’t have something going on with her being a freshman.
“Knowing it was her last go-around this time, if we didn’t have something, I did my best to make sure I was watching her, and coach (Jeremy) Richey from the get-go has been extremely accommodating,” he said. “When I originally signed on to help him when Alan was a junior, if I had to be here or if I had to be there, he’d let me go because we’re covered with all the assistants.”
Tim has been an assistant baseball coach since the spring of 2017, which was Alan’s junior year.
“I just felt kind of a calling because (Richey) was the only one on staff in the (high school) building, and I thought, ‘Why not?'” Tim said.
“He originally said something to me about helping with the freshmen my first year here, which was 2013-14, and I said, ‘No thank you. Not yet,'” he said. “In the fall of ’16, he asked me if I had spoken to Alan about (coaching) and I said, ‘No. Why don’t you say something to him?’ Alan was fine with it, so they accepted me onto the staff, and it has been awesome.”
Tim said he has been coaching his sons since Alan was 5.
“We played T-ball at Kessler Park. We were the Bestway Braves. I’ve been coaching them all the way through,” he said.
Aimee usually was the head coach of the rec league team for Alyssa, and Tim said he did his best to be there to assist with practices or games if he didn’t have any conflicts with Alan.
This spring, Tim said he was either at a practice or game about every day Monday through Saturday.
“I don’t want to go home and sit around,” he said. “I just want to be involved with them and know that I might have had a little bit to do with what they’ve become and being able to see them. I stay busy. I sleep well. I wake up early. It’s so rewarding, obviously.”
Alan played baseball this spring at Cedarville University in Ohio but was injured part of the season.
“About the only luck he has had since he has been in college has been bad luck,” Tim said. “We were able to get to see his first couple of games in late February (in North Carolina).”
Alyssa graduated from SHS on Sunday and will attend Purdue University this fall, and Bret recently finished his freshman year.
Tim said he is proud of his children’s athletic accomplishments.
“Their success, how they really, truly seem to enjoy it and just being there to soak it all up and to be part of it and part of their lives, to spread my knowledge, it’s tough to describe it in words,” he said.
Herb said every night this spring, his family was either at practice or a game.
“A lot of times, the kids are in different cities, and most games are on the same night, so it makes it tough,” he said. “On home games, we’ll normally finish before the boys, so I’ll go over and catch the end of the baseball game, so that’s nice. And then any time we’re not playing, I always try to go and watch him.”
When the baseball team was short of coaches a couple of games this season, Herb filled in as the first base coach.
When Herb is coaching his daughter, Jessica tries to go watch Kowan’s baseball games.
“Divide and conquer,” Herb said.
He has coached for several years.
“I started coaching softball when Kamzi was 8 in the Seymour rec league,” Herb said. “I did softball for the first four years, and then I switched to baseball and did that for four years. Two years ago, I came back to softball when I got asked to help here at Trinity. I’m glad I made that decision.”
This spring, he was in charge of keeping statistics for the Trinity softball team.
“I try to mark down what kind of pitch that we get the opposing team out on,” he said. “That helped us on scouting purposes as far as the next game.”
Kamzi did all of the pitching for the Cougars this spring. Herb said she has had a pitching coach, Eddie Loathe, since she was 8.
Both of his children also have been playing a lot of travel ball.
“Kamzi started at 8, and I helped coach a team for her the first couple of years. She got better and didn’t need Dad anymore, and I started a travel program for my son,” he said. “Three of the Cougars right now (Kowan, Chase Bode and Peyton Pollert) are on a baseball team I started, and I had those for four years.”
During the travel season, Kamzi practices at least three times a week in Indianapolis and also plays games around the area, while Kowan practices in Seymour and North Vernon.
“I put about 40,000 miles a year on my truck. (Kamzi and Kowan) are my two greatest accomplishments, so I’ll do anything I can for them,” Herb said. “My wife and I talk all the time ‘What are we going to do when our kids quit playing sports?’ I love every minute of it, and my wife does a lot here at the school, stays busy with the concession stand and all that, keeping everything stocked up and ready to go.”
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Other families in Jackson County spring sports
Seymour
Baseball
Jason, Charlie Longmeier – father (assistant coach), son
Baseball-track
John, Josh Pennington – brothers
Reuben, Reid Kruse – brothers
Baseball-softball
Eli, Grace Meyer – siblings
Softball
Ben, Sydney, Avery Stewart – father (assistant coach), daughters
Jayson, Camryn, Kendrick Sterling – father (assistant coach), daughters
Zabrina, Matte Nicholson – mother (assistant coach), daughter
Track
Spencer, Lillian Sunbury – father (girls head coach), daughter
Dunigan, Celeste Huddleston – siblings
Ashlyn, Elan Henderson- siblings
Kaleigh, Micah Maschino – sisters
Ally, Emilee East – sisters
Benjamin, Miracle Marks – siblings
Anthony, David Juarez – brothers
Unified track
AJ, David Engel – brothers
Track-Unified track
Carter, Olivia Hendrix – siblings
Delaney, Caitlin Thomasma – siblings
Audrey, Andrew Wiggam – siblings
Softball-Unified track
Kendall, Karsen Allman – siblings
Golf-Unified track
Andrew, Lauren Knieriem – siblings
Track-tennis
McKenzie, Maddi Wirtz – siblings
Tennis
Avery, Sydney Musgrave – sisters
Ellie, Marlo Cornn – sisters
Golf-tennis
Ty, Liza Stuckwisch – siblings
Brownstown Central
Softball
Emily, Erin Singleton – twins
Kyndle, Rylin Huddleston – sisters
Softball-baseball
Monte, Kirsten Ault Beavers – father-daughter (head, assistant coach)
Braeden, Adelynn Anderson – siblings
Track
Jayden, Jaycob Steinkamp – brothers
Baseball
Kiernan, Chick Tiemeyer – brothers
Golf
Connor, Caiden Gwin – brothers
Crothersville
Track
Kennadi, Kiarra Lakins – sisters
Ella, Elijah Plasse – siblings
Carl, Marc Bowman – coaches father-son
Baseball
Eric, Lucas Hilton – father (coach), son player
Briar, Olivia Robinson – brother-sister (assistant coach, player)
Trinity Lutheran
Baseball-tennis
Jake, Kate Mau – siblings
Softball-baseball
Hannah, Drew Kerkhof – siblings
Softball-tennis
Samantha, Erin Enzinger – siblings
Tennis-golf
Julie, Sarah, Andrew Lemming – mother (head coach), daughter, son
Softball
Bob, Bailey Tabeling – father (head coach), daughter
Orlando, Genesis, Dianna Munoz – father (assistant coach), daughters
Golf
Doug, Jacob Sabotin- father (coach), son
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