DIXFIELD — Being around athletic programs throughout her life should help Sara Thurston teach the fundamental skills as the new varsity softball coach at Dirigo.

Thurston is certainly no stranger to the program, having served as JV coach the previous two seasons. The time spent around the players has given Thurston a better chance to evaluate talent.

“Yes,” Thurston agreed. “But there’s always some hidden surprises with incoming players, and several players have been doing some work in the off season, so everyone will be coming into tryouts with a fresh slate.”

Playing and coaching has allowed Thurston to develop philosophies and given her a better perspective on how a team needs to perform.

“Without a doubt,” Thurston said, regarding playing for many different coaches. “I took a little bit from each coach I had (starting at four years old in gymnastics to Division I volleyball at the University of Maine) and took bits and pieces, both the ones I wanted to be like, and the ones I would avoid being like, and have pieced together a pretty solid coaching style.”

Thurston was a three-sport, student-athlete at George Stevens Academy in Blue Hill. As a senior in 1999, GSA lost the state games in both basketball and softball.

“We just couldn’t pull off a win for that last game” said Thurston, who teaches Physical Education at Hartford Sumner Elementary. “At the time, it was a tough loss, but looking back, as cliche as it sounds, only one other team had made it that far, and that’s pretty good.”

Thurston was a four-year starter in softball and played various positions, including team leader in home runs, and extra base hits as a senior. Coming from a successful program has been an asset and helped her coaching goals. Her experiences in winning and losing have taught her humility.

“(These) have helped me develop my coaching style and expectations for players, and for myself,” said Thurston, a 2003 Maine graduate with degrees in human development and sports medicine. “Successfulness can’t always be measured in wins vs. losses … But wins sure are a nice added bonus.”

Thurston has had numerous coaching stints including: Junior Olympic Volleyball, summer camps, girls’ soccer, boys’ varsity basketball, softball, girls’ tennis (Jay High School) and volleyball at the University of Maine at Farmington.

Thurston believes if everyone works hard at their jobs and trust each other will do theirs, the program will be successful, and they will have a whole lot of fun in the process!