Tairia Flowers lives for "walking out to the field … to play and watch the game I love." And as Head Softball Coach for California State Northridge, she gets to do just that. An All-American at UCLA, as well as a two-time Olympian with both a gold and silver medal to her credit, Tairia relies on her on-field experience to help the young women she coaches become better softball players and ultimately better people.
Although it took some getting used to, Tairia has approached stepping from the field to the dugout head on. She realized early in her career that the key to life is hard work, practice and a positive attitude. She'll be the first to say she's never relied on the luxury of "natural gifts," but rather understood that being the best can take practice. Keeping that philosophy in mind, she's always striving for more from both her team and herself, often asking, "Did I put [my team] in the best possible position to succeed? What can I do better?"