Buvid, by the numbers
Monroe softball coach Dale Buvid will enter the hall of fame having accomplished a lot with the Cheesemakers.
- Career record: 417-212
- 8 conference championships
- 6 WIAA state tournament appearances
- State runner-up in 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2012
- 2003 WIAA Division 2 state championship
MONROE - For three decades Monroe coach Dale Buvid's passion for softball has been evident in the way he takes his team through warm-ups and calls out pitches from the dugout.
That passion will place Buvid at the pinnacle of the coaching profession when he is inducted into the Wisconsin Softball Coaches Association Hall of Fame Saturday night at the Holiday Inn in Stevens Point.
"It's a wonderful honor," Buvid said. "If you call it a profession, it's about as high as you can go in high school softball."
Buvid retired from teaching last year, but he is entering his 30th year coaching. Under Buvid's tutelage, the Cheesemakers have won eight conference championships and made six state tournament appearances, including five finals appearances. Monroe won the WIAA Division 2 state title in 2003 and finished as the state runner-up in 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2012.
"It's always a dream as a coach to win a state championship," Buvid said. "It's the ultimate in high school sports. I have been blessed and fortunate to be there. There are a lot of coaches who put in a lot of time and haven't had a chance to go to one."
Buvid spends countless hours working with elementary students and developing them as softball players in the Monroe Park and Rec leagues in the summer. However, he will say it takes more than one coach to build a program into a consistent state contender.
Buvid said Monroe would not have been as successful of a softball program if it wasn't for assistant coaches Noel Herbst, Joe O'Leksy and Donna Skogen, as well as parents, former players and administration.
"I'm just one cog in a large program," he said.
On the one state championship the Cheesemakers did win, Buvid's daughter, Amy, and one of the program's best pitchers Amy Bahler were instrumental in the team's success. Amy Buvid scored the game-winning run in the state semifinals to beat Shawano 4-3 in 10 innings, and she scored the game-winning run in the sectional final to beat Dodgeville in extra innings. Bahler was a second team all-state pitcher.
"If you get (to state), it's great and if you win it it's icing on the cake," Buvid said. "To get there is one thing and to have your daughter on the team is great. She was a big part of our success that year. That was a special time and a special group."
There have been several changes in the game since Buvid started coaching softball in 1984. The pitching rubber was moved back from 40 feet away to 43 feet, for safety and for fear that power pitchers were dominating the game.
"If you could throw 50 miles-per-hour, you could throw it by most people at 40 feet," Buvid said. "You can't just throw it by people now. It's not just a power pitching game that we lived on for a while. You have to have more movement and pitches now."
Buvid said the level of play is "light-years" ahead of where it was when he first started coaching.
"There were a lot of high-scoring games and at least one walk an inning," Buvid said. "There were games where we had 10 or more walks. A lot of baseball and softball is pitching. There is a lot of physical things that go into pitching, but a lot mentally too. Not every kid can take that pressure. If she can't do that job, you have no chance."
He pointed to the advent of year-round baseball and softball training facilities in Madison and Middleton as reasons for the changes in competition.
"Softball has caught up with other sports with more summer training and leagues," he said. "Consequently, the level of play has gone up."
In his first 10 years coaching, Buvid said only one home run went over the fence and there have been at least 12 home runs hit over the fence the last 20 years.
"Kids are getting better, stronger and more skilled," he said.
Buvid said he still plans on coaching a couple of more years. He wants to ensure he can still coach at the same high level and maintain relationships with players while not teaching. Buvid also said he will consider moving closer to his children, who live in Rochester, Minn. All will factor into how much longer he coaches.
"If I can do it physically at the same high energy level, I will do it," he said. "I have two artificial hips, so age will eventually become a factor. I think it's an asset being a teacher and getting to know the kids. That will disappear now. I don't know how that will play out and if that will be a factor."
That passion will place Buvid at the pinnacle of the coaching profession when he is inducted into the Wisconsin Softball Coaches Association Hall of Fame Saturday night at the Holiday Inn in Stevens Point.
"It's a wonderful honor," Buvid said. "If you call it a profession, it's about as high as you can go in high school softball."
Buvid retired from teaching last year, but he is entering his 30th year coaching. Under Buvid's tutelage, the Cheesemakers have won eight conference championships and made six state tournament appearances, including five finals appearances. Monroe won the WIAA Division 2 state title in 2003 and finished as the state runner-up in 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2012.
"It's always a dream as a coach to win a state championship," Buvid said. "It's the ultimate in high school sports. I have been blessed and fortunate to be there. There are a lot of coaches who put in a lot of time and haven't had a chance to go to one."
Buvid spends countless hours working with elementary students and developing them as softball players in the Monroe Park and Rec leagues in the summer. However, he will say it takes more than one coach to build a program into a consistent state contender.
Buvid said Monroe would not have been as successful of a softball program if it wasn't for assistant coaches Noel Herbst, Joe O'Leksy and Donna Skogen, as well as parents, former players and administration.
"I'm just one cog in a large program," he said.
On the one state championship the Cheesemakers did win, Buvid's daughter, Amy, and one of the program's best pitchers Amy Bahler were instrumental in the team's success. Amy Buvid scored the game-winning run in the state semifinals to beat Shawano 4-3 in 10 innings, and she scored the game-winning run in the sectional final to beat Dodgeville in extra innings. Bahler was a second team all-state pitcher.
"If you get (to state), it's great and if you win it it's icing on the cake," Buvid said. "To get there is one thing and to have your daughter on the team is great. She was a big part of our success that year. That was a special time and a special group."
There have been several changes in the game since Buvid started coaching softball in 1984. The pitching rubber was moved back from 40 feet away to 43 feet, for safety and for fear that power pitchers were dominating the game.
"If you could throw 50 miles-per-hour, you could throw it by most people at 40 feet," Buvid said. "You can't just throw it by people now. It's not just a power pitching game that we lived on for a while. You have to have more movement and pitches now."
Buvid said the level of play is "light-years" ahead of where it was when he first started coaching.
"There were a lot of high-scoring games and at least one walk an inning," Buvid said. "There were games where we had 10 or more walks. A lot of baseball and softball is pitching. There is a lot of physical things that go into pitching, but a lot mentally too. Not every kid can take that pressure. If she can't do that job, you have no chance."
He pointed to the advent of year-round baseball and softball training facilities in Madison and Middleton as reasons for the changes in competition.
"Softball has caught up with other sports with more summer training and leagues," he said. "Consequently, the level of play has gone up."
In his first 10 years coaching, Buvid said only one home run went over the fence and there have been at least 12 home runs hit over the fence the last 20 years.
"Kids are getting better, stronger and more skilled," he said.
Buvid said he still plans on coaching a couple of more years. He wants to ensure he can still coach at the same high level and maintain relationships with players while not teaching. Buvid also said he will consider moving closer to his children, who live in Rochester, Minn. All will factor into how much longer he coaches.
"If I can do it physically at the same high energy level, I will do it," he said. "I have two artificial hips, so age will eventually become a factor. I think it's an asset being a teacher and getting to know the kids. That will disappear now. I don't know how that will play out and if that will be a factor."
