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Billy Bitter with his Dad
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Throwback Thursday: Billy Bitter’s Motivation

Welcome to another installment of Throwback Thursday!

With two games left in his freshman season at University of North Carolina, William Benz “Billy” Bitter got an email from his father, Ward Bitter, that provided a little extra motivation to close out the year. Billy posted the email on his Intagram account earlier this week, and we thought it’d be worth sharing with LAS readers.

4/10/08

Billy,

With two games left it is time to make a statement. It’s about next year. Are you going to leave an impression or are you going to just try to blend in?
You have nothing to lose. Be aggressive. Lead your team as you did in Manhasset and Deerfield. Stop watching others and start visualizing your own game.
Break ankles, pass and come hard back to the ball on the second pass. Make it impossible for the Dman to cover you. Ride like hell and kill them on the cut backs.
if you don’t score goals in this game then don’t expect to play next year. You have to earn your success. Focus on the defensemen tapes and learn how they like to cover, check and contain their opponents. Know more about the defense then they know about you. Study and win!
Good Luck.

Love,
Dad

A graduate of Manhasset High School, just like Jim Brown, Billy did a post-graduate year at Deerfield Academy before heading to UNC. Here’s another motivational email from his father, which Billy received on May 1st, 2007, during his final month at Deerfield.

5/01/07

Billy,

Is a goalie going to beat you……Not if your Middies are disciplined….no stupid shots!
Is their midfield going to beat you…..Not if you guys win the ground balls….at least as a team
Is their defense going to beat you?……Not if you change your game a bit.
Practice going from the flag. That gives you time to run him before you go from the cut back. It also makes the double unsure of where to jump you. When you run hard from flag/corner to corner the double tends to miss their timing.
OH, I forgot to tell you. If he strips you then smile and get the ball back. It’s OK to be striped 3 times in the first quarter. That means you are testing him. So, be tough and don’t worry about mistakes. The best attackmen don’t give a s#@% about the first quarter.

Love,
Dad

Thanks to Billy Bitter for sharing these motivational emails with the world. Transparency like this provides a great opportunity for young athletes to get an inside look what makes the game’s greatest players tick.

Billy Bitter at Manhasset High School
Billy (left) during his senior year at Manhasset High School