Published: July 02, 2007 10:13 pm            

Local team winning games, helping youngsters

Brownsburg — Summer vacation isn’t just rest and relaxation for local athletes, and one area softball team is spending its time racking up wins and helping young players learn the game.

Coached by SoftballOne founder Cara Johnson-Hirsch, the 16U Team Indiana squad is having a very successful summer on the diamond. Following a runner-up finish in Jasper and a fifth-place effort in Michigan, the team came in second in an Oklahoma City tournament featuring teams from all over the United States to qualify for the American Softball Association Nationals July 29 through Aug. 4 in South Dakota.

“It was a great honor to be there, the other teams’ rosters were stacked 18 or 19 deep and we have 10 (players),” Johnson-Hirsch said of the Oklahoma City tourney. “We’re sleeping four kids to a room and are eating out of our coolers, but we were able to compete. It was just a great experience, I was so proud of the girls. It gave them confidence that they can compete nationally.”

The team, which includes Jenny Esparza and Katie Mathieu of Avon, left Oklahoma following the tournament’s conclusion and arrived back home at 3 a.m. Monday. The girls didn’t rest long, and helped Johnson-Hirsch put in day one of a four-day local camp for 35 girls, all but a few being from Hendricks County. Team members that served as camp counselors were paid, as camp fees aided in raising funds for the squad’s travels.

In its fourth year, SoftballOne is a year-round training program for players of all ages with workout facilities in Brownsburg and Pendelton. For older players, it gives them a chance to hone their skills and compete in tournaments whenever they’re not playing for their high school teams. While conflicts between club and high school coaches have been on the rise, Johnson-Hirsch said her program is committed to making sure girls understand what a privilege it is to suit up for one’s school and community while also getting the necessary offseason rest.

“A lot of programs and teams make their kids travel and compete every single weekend, and I think that pulls kids from their community sports,” she said. “I don’t agree with that one bit. There are programs now telling kids not to play high school, and that has a devastating effect. I feel every kid needs to experience that at some point.”

Johnson-Hirsch said her program and others like it provide exposure to college coaches for the players, and that getting the girls money for school is a primary goal.

“That’s what it’s about, allowing these girls to use softball to get an education, which will change their lives,” she said.

Like with last week’s camp, the program also lets older players earn cash by assisting in teaching sessions throughout the year while serving as role models for young girls.

With a pair of tourneys in Ohio and one near Chicago leading up to the ASA Nationals, Johnson-Hirsch said Team Indiana has a great shot at making a deep run in South Dakota. The team has played — and will play — against sponsored, larger squads that enjoy luxurious travel options, but the coach said it’s all about skill, execution, and heart on the diamond.

“We can do it — that’s the beauty of this game, it doesn’t matter how big you are, how small you are, how fast, or how slow,” she said. “We win by playing fundamentally sound softball. A lot of it just depends on the intelligent decision-making of the players.”



brent.glasgow@flyergroup.com

        

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