[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 107 (Tuesday, June 26, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E915-E916]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING COACH JOHN CARTER

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN R. CARTER

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 26, 2018

  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor John Carter, head 
baseball coach of the Round Rock Dragons, who was recently named the 
National Federation of State High School Associations' 2016-2017 State 
Coach of the Year for boys' baseball. During his decades as coach, he's 
helped lead the Dragons to a state championship, fielded a perennial 
contender, and positively impacted the lives of hundreds of young men.
  It's no coincidence we share the same name; Coach Carter is my first-
born son. As an athlete, he'd be the first to admit that he wasn't 
blessed with innate physical gifts; others were faster, stronger, more 
agile. Yet he quickly gained a reputation as a supremely coachable 
athlete who listened when coaches

[[Page E916]]

instructed him and, just as important, paid heed when coaches guided 
teammates. Few were more motivated to do the work necessary to succeed.
  These traits serve him well as he strengthens the legacy of a great 
high school baseball program, one of the most respected both in Texas 
and nationwide. Coach Carter has excelled not because he's a guru of 
offense or a deacon of defense. He's not a pitcher's coach or a 
fielder's coach. He's a baseball coach who knows that the road to 
victory is paved by mastery of every facet of this complex game.
  The fruits of Coach Carter's labors are in every strikeout, double 
play, and sacrifice bunt. They're in every win celebrated and every 
loss with lessons to learn from. They're in the eyes of teenagers he's 
helped mold into young men who learn the value of teamwork and how to 
reach their fullest potentials, both on and off the field of play.
  Most important, Coach Carter has never lost sight of the beauty of 
our national pastime. A game that has no clock yet demands blazing 
speed. The rare sport where the offense scores the runs but the defense 
has the ball. Where all the important things happen at home. A game 
played in back alleys, open fields, ramshackle parks, and glossy 
stadiums that transcends social boundaries and unites a great nation. 
Where one and all are excited by the most magical words in all of 
sports: ``play ball!''
  I congratulate Coach John Carter for this richly-deserved honor. I'm 
proud of him, like I am of all my children, and I wish him nothing but 
success as he continues leading the Round Rock Dragons boys' baseball 
team to victory.

                          ____________________