Many Twin Valley softball pitchers know Dan DeMarco for his life lessons, not just as a coach.
DeMarco, owner of Reading-based Rock n Fire girls fastpitch softball, has been coaching girls fastpitch softball for almost 30 years. His coaching specialty is teaching how to pitch. Dan started coaching because his God daughter had asked him to take over her 12U team when the original coach had left the program.
“I tried it and loved it,” he said. “I never dreamed it would evolve into what it is today. But I’m glad it did.”
DeMarco has coached many successful girls of which 129 received scholarships to 76 different universities. For the pitchers that he has coached through college he has had eight all-Americans, two national championships, six trips to finals, three D2 pitchers of the year, one national record holder, 14 conference champions, and 14 all-conference/region champions. In high school he has coached 21 girls who have received league titles, 11 district titles, two state champions, and three state runner ups.
His favorite part about being a coach is “watching and helping young ladies grow into beautiful, productive, independent women. Seeing them go off to college. Seeing them pursue their dreams. Seeing them have their own families. And knowing that you, in some small way, were able to help them along in their journey. It is the single most gratifying thing I have ever done. My mother always taught me that the greatest joy in life is giving. She was right.”
Tara Senn, 20, a student of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and a pitcher of the IUP Softball Team, has been a student of DeMarco’s for five years.
“His coaching style is all about the pitcher,” Senn said. “He focuses on the abilities of each individual player, not what others their age are doing. His style is all about avoiding injury and making you the best you can be.”
According to Senn, “Dan is an excellent coach, and treats each of his players like daughters.”
He also has some hidden talents.
DeMarco has recently been discovered by National Speed Sport News. They had spotted DeMarco’s photos on RaceProWeekly, a sprint car racing website, and had approached him to ask him to be their Central Pa sprint car representative.
However, DeMarco’s recent success with photography is not something new in which he had picked up as a hobby, he has been taking photos since he was 10 years old.
“My father would take me with him to the stock car races at the Reading Fairgrounds Speedway,” DeMarco said. “Every week I would ask him to buy me a photo of one of my favorite drivers. For my 10th birthday he bought me a Kodak Brownie camera so I could take my own photos.”
“I was hooked! As I got older and could earn money working after school, I bought cheap, used 35mm equipment. And just kept practicing. After about four years of reading library books and magazines on photography, along with applying the trial and error method at the local speedways, I felt confident enough to request and receive my first press card from Area Auto Racing News. And I was on my way.”
DeMarco said he has had many people help and support him through his success.
“It would take up a full page to name all of the people who either helped, supported or encouraged me along the way. But No.1 on the list is my beautiful wife Lucy. She is my rock. She is the most loving, caring, selfless and supportive wife a man could ever wish to have. She is the driving force behind any and all successes I’ve had. I would be lost without her. I have been truly blessed.”
DeMarco’s said his future goals are “To continue to coach and do photography as long as I am physically capable. I cannot imagine doing, or wanting to do anything else. I am a contented man.”
To learn more about DeMarco’s business or to contact him for more information, visit www.rocknfireinc.com.
Gwen Bauer, intern for Tri County Record, has been coached in softball by DeMarco since age 11 and also has been coached in photography for the past several years.
