Alex Eisen/MDN Minot High School softball head coach Gerard Cederstrom (center) coaches the Majettes during a WDA softball game played last season at the South Hill Softball Complex in Minot.

Gerard Cederstrom is a teacher in the Minot Public Schools district and is currently the Minot High softball varsity head coach and the assistant coach for the Minot High girls golf team.

In total, Cederstrom has coached various sports — boys basketball, girls basketball, baseball, softball and golf — over the last 35 years.

The Minot Daily News chatted with Cederstrom on Friday to talk about the fading possibility of a high school softball season, memories of the 2018 Majettes softball state championship run, why he became a coach and much more. Some responses are edited for brevity and clarity.

MDN: We are coming up on May, is it getting harder to stay optimistic that there is going to be a high school spring sports season?

GC: I follow the CDC and the governor, and things like that. But, yeah. I don’t want to sound negative. I still want to play, and I want the kids to go out, have fun and be with them. But, if you’re going to follow Phase 1, Phase 2 of the plan, schools aren’t in there until later.

So, I have a hard time thinking we are going to be doing anything.

MDN: If the green light ever comes and the spring sports season does resume, do you have any suggestions on how a shortened softball season could work?

GC: Well, it depends on when they give us the go-ahead. Then, I think the North Dakota High School Activities Association would have to remove the nine-day practice (period) because that’s two weeks. Once we hit May, well, that’s only four weeks until the state tournament.

I would really hate to just play a regional tournament, and whoever qualifies makes it to state. I would rather play games.

If we did jamborees during the week — say we met in Minot, we got six quality fields that are playable — we could play quite a few games in a couple of days. Or even a day.

MDN: Realistically, how many games do you think a softball player could play in a week?

GC: Well, if we don’t have school — that takes a lot out of the kids and vice versa — we get in three or four games in a day during a summer tournament. Obviously, you have to have pitching to be able to do that.

The pitchers and the catchers are the two that it takes a toll on the most.

But, we could play a doubleheader a few days in a row and it shouldn’t have too much of an effect on the kids.

MDN: What have you been doing with your time?

GC: I’m still teaching and doing that. But, I’ve also been trying to train my new dog that I got in January and doing some extra spring cleaning like everybody else.

I’ve also been visiting with my family. With this much time, I’ve gotten to see my grandkids and FaceTime with other grandkids.

MDN: Have you been able to keep in contact with your players, and what’s that process been like?

GC: I’ve been running everything through my seniors. We also have a website that has various workouts, and I don’t know who has been following it. I haven’t asked them to get back to me.

Starting next week, hopefully, we are going to start something that encourages the girls to challenge each other to work out four times a week for half an hour. It doesn’t

necessarily mean you are working out for softball, but they’re softball workouts on there. Some workouts you can do with your family or whoever.

MDN: Taking a trip down memory lane, what still stands out to you about the Minot High softball state championship run of 2018?

GC: It was pretty awesome. I’ve been coaching for 35 years, but I learn something every year. That year, I learned that I had certain kids who could just take care of things. I didn’t have to micromanage.

I just had to say what we were doing, and they took care of it.

Basically, the group went out and played. They went out and earned it. They had fun. So, I try to keep that going each year now. More so with letting the kids be more accountable to each other than me dictating.

MDN: Why did you want to become a coach?

GC: When I was in high school, I broke my left shin just like Joe Theismann. That was my junior year, and I was out the whole year. In my senior year, I tore my ACL.

I was a three-sport athlete: football, basketball and baseball. And I didn’t get to leave on my own terms in football or basketball. So, I played Legion baseball in the summer, and I got hit with the ball in my eye.

I lost my vision in my eye, and everybody that was talking with me to play sports in college basically said goodbye. So, I didn’t get to end things on my terms.

It took a couple of years for me to get my stuff back together, mentally and physically. I started refereeing first. Then, I had the opportunity to do some coaching. It kind of just grew from there. I love the game, I love to give back and I love the kids. I enjoy what I do. I don’t know if I look like it all the time, but I enjoy it.

MDN: As a coach, do you prefer a low scoring game or a high scoring game?

GC: I’m a traditionalist. I love low scoring games where every play counts. In every at-bat, can you manufacture a run somehow? Maybe that is just the baseball coming out in me. I don’t know.

In this day and age, everybody is all about high scoring games. I’m not opposed to them, but I just love the chess match.

MDN: If you could change anything about high school softball to make the sport better, what would you change?

GC: I’d like the season to be longer, but also I don’t want to go into the summer and take away the summer season too. So, I guess I wouldn’t change anything right now.

MDN: How much say do you have in the dugout chants used?

GC: Absolutely none. I’m OK with them chanting, cheering and whatever, but they can’t be derogatory to the other team. Obviously, nobody is swearing or anything like that.

Each year, the girls develop their own identity, and that’s part of it. Some years we have had unbelievable cheers and some years we didn’t do any. We still do pretty well each year. Each group develops its own personality, I guess.

MDN: That’s all I have for you. Any parting comments?

GC: I just hope everybody — softball, track, tennis players, everybody — hangs in there. This isn’t the end of the world if we don’t have a season. It would be awesome if we get to. But, like I said, I didn’t get to end my (high school sports) careers by my choice either.

We are all going to survive this.

We need to look after our health and stay positive.

Alex Eisen covers Minot State athletics, the Minot Minotauros and high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @AEisen13.