[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 82 (Thursday, June 5, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1139-E1140]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO MARK WETZEL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SCOTT McINNIS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 4, 2003

  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I have the distinct privilege today to pay 
tribute to an extraordinary individual who is a regular visitor to my 
district. Mark Wetzel, a hitting coach from Omaha, Nebraska, travels to 
Western Colorado several times a year to work with the baseball team at 
Delta High School. He has done so for the past four years, and the 
results have been impressive. The Delta Panthers have raised the team 
batting average to .424, ranking in the top five in Colorado. Five 
players are hitting above .500, and confidence is high across the 
lineup.
  Although Mark has played an important role in the team's success, he 
hasn't played the game since the age of 14. Disease forced him to quit 
playing, and for years Mark thought he didn't have anything to offer. 
When his son started playing the game, Mark eventually tried to impact 
his son's performance, and the results were readily apparent. That led 
to Mark helping the rest of the team, and before long word got out 
around Omaha about this hitting coach who could help improve 
performance when other coaches could not. Players he had never met, 
including some minor leaguers, began seeking out Mark for advice. Soon 
he was trading hitting philosophies with baseball legend Tony Gwynn and 
hitting coaches from the San Diego Padres.
  What is so unique about Mark as a coach? Players and coaches say he 
has the ability to see things other coaches miss. One coach says that 
while he will concentrate on a problem and not find the cause, Mark 
will look at the end result and identify what is wrong.
  Mark's ability to see things other coaches cannot is not the most 
unique thing about him, however. Mark is almost completely blind. The 
disease that caused him to quit playing baseball as a teenager also 
took away his vision. Yet he will tell you that losing his sight is the 
best thing that ever happened to him, because it taught him how to 
outwork others, stay positive, and be tenacious. It also has made him 
an inspiration to others, including the baseball team at Delta High 
School.
  Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to honor Mark Wetzel today by telling 
his amazing story to this Congress. He is a true asset to the Panthers 
baseball team, and I congratulate him on his success, commend him for 
his inspiring example, and thank him for his contribution to the youth 
of Delta, Colorado.

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