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Brianne Matthews: Of Softball,
Sorrow 3/13/10
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A few months ago, Nadia Martinez and her 16-year-old
daughter, Brianne Matthews, drifted into an uncharacteristic conversation about
life and death.
Martinez is not sure about what led to the discussion, but she felt a little
odd when Matthews calmly told her how she would like to be remembered after she
died.
"She wanted her ashes to be sprinkled all over a softball field because
that's where she lived," Martinez said about Matthews, who had a 14-4
pitching record as a freshman last year for Mater Dei (Calif.) High School.
"It didn't matter where. As long as it was a softball field with a mound.
That's where she dominated."
Always an overachiever, Matthews had gotten it done off and on the softball
diamond. She carried a 4.0 grade point average at academically testing Mater
Dei and was committed to pursue a career as a neonatologist. Despite being only
a high school sophomore, Matthews already had accepted a full-ride college
scholarship offer to play softball for national powerhouse Arizona after she
graduated in 2012. A phenom.
Socially? Forget about it. At 16, Matthews had friends for days, thanks to a
dynamic personality and her huge softball following. Considered the No.1 young
pitching prospect in the nation, Matthews had a way for attracting crowds and
had grown into a Pied Piper character for the sport.
For unknown reasons, though, Matthews did not feel right in this role and on
Feb. 25, she killed herself hours after returning home from softball
practice.
A tragic ending to a young life with so much promise.
An ending that has left many unanswered questions.
"I don't want to talk about the suicide," Martinez, who found
Matthews dead at their Anaheim apartment, told FanHouse recently. "And I
don't want to talk about what may have led her ... we can only speculate and I
don't want to do that. No answer is going to be good enough."
According to official reports, on the night of Matthews' death, Anaheim fire
and police were sent to the family's apartment regarding a girl not breathing.
Paramedics administered CPR to the girl and she was taken to a local hospital
where she was pronounced dead at 8:22 p.m. PT.
The Orange County Coroner's report ruled Matthews' death a suicide, "by
ligature hanging."
"I don't believe it was spontaneous," said Bill Jackson, who coached
Matthews for three years when she played for the Firecrackers, a youth softball
travel team based in Orange County. "She was depressed. Everything you
hear indicates to us that it was something that was thought out a little bit.
She knew what to do and how to do it. ... Teenagers and the internet nowadays.
I don't think we're ever going to know why she did it."
Last week, a standing room only crowd of more than 1,500 attended an outdoor
ceremony for Matthews at the Huntington Beach Sports Complex, a multi-softball
field site where many of her games were played.
High school players and travel ballplayers were encouraged to wear their
uniforms and most did. With a stage set behind second base and the remainder of
the softball diamond filled with well-wishers, the afternoon felt more tribute
than wake as family and friends took time to talk about Matthews, called Bri by
family and friends.
"Sometimes, you meet people and right away you know that they were
supposed to be there [in your life]...," said Shannon Bustillos, a
teammate on Orange County Batbusters, a travel team Matthews joined a year ago.
"Anybody who knew Bri, knew that she was filled with life, love and
happiness. She had a laugh that anybody could hear. A hug that could crack
anybody's back and a drop-off [pitch] that nobody could hit."
For Martinez, the ceremony was a fitting sendoff.
"We are taking it moment by moment and day by day," Martinez said.
"That's really all we can do. It's unimaginable."
"Bri just loved sports and she probably got that from me ... But she was
different. She was very driven. She competed in everything she did in life. She
just went after everything 100 percent and I don't know where she got that
from. I don't know what her motivation was but she was very very motivated.
"That's just who she was. If she was going to throw a ball, she was going
to throw it harder and farther than everyone else. If she was going to hit it,
she was going to hit it harder and farther. I don't know ... that's just how
she was made."
Pressure of the Sport
News about Matthews' death traveled fast among southern California's softball
followers, a community where everyone seems to know each other. And that's
because they basically do.
For years -- from elementary school to college -- the same group of softball
players and parents not only play and travel together but also compete against
one another on a regular basis through school teams, local park leagues and
travel squads.
"The softball community is a very small world," said Jackson, who
coached Matthews for three years with the Firecrackers. "The entire
country is on the phone, the internet and everywhere else. We are a very
in-touch community, even though we are very spread out
geographically."
It's this type of family environment that has added to the sadness. Many
families can relate to the demands that come with the sport.
Cindy Kelly, whose daughter Jenna started playing against Matthews when they
were both nine, is one of those parents.
"It was just a terrible shock," Kelly said about Matthews, who on the
day of her suicide reportedly gave her athletic bag to a teammate and told her
that she likely would not need it the next day. "You don't know if she put
too much pressure on herself or what. But the thing is, she had so much going
for her. She had a full-ride for college and a bright future. You just had to
think that everything was good with her."
Some people involved in softball believe the sport's ultra-competitive nature
has evolved into a major problem for today's players. Too many are working
under tough circumstances in hopes of making it to the highest level and that
has added extra pressure to their lives.
"You realize that these kids give up many many hours to develop their
softball skills," veteran southern California softball umpire Paul Morines
said. "They sacrifice social time with friends. They spend all weekend on
the ball field. Some days they want to go home, but they can't because they
have to play.
"I am always so impressed in how these kids are willing to give up so much
of their time to dedicate themselves to one sport in order to be a top notch
softball athlete. But that's the only way that you're going to get yourself a
scholarship."
According to Morines, that's one reason why Matthews was considered a hero to
so many.
"These kids are hard core and Bri was probably the epitome of that type of
ballplayer," Morines said. "Everyone looked up to her as the model
for the commitment that you needed to make in order to go to the highest rank
as possible.
"I only umpired one game with her last year and you could tell that she
was one intense kid. She definitely had a presence on the field. She just
stared you down. And you knew that she put in hard work to become so
good."
"She wanted to achieve things in
life.
Everything she tried, she excelled at
and physically, she could have been
a star in any sport."
-- Bill Jackson,
Former Coach
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Always an All-Star
From young biddy players to crusty, old coaches, it was always "The Bri
Show" whenever Matthews was around. Dominating ability can attract that
type of attention.
"Obviously we thought very fondly of Bri and her talents," said
Arizona Coach Mike Candrea, who along with his coaching staff attended
Matthews' tribute. "That's why we wanted her to be a Wildcat.
"She was such a very special athlete. A very special student. She worked
very hard to be the best at what she did."
Umpire Mike Carver, who worked numerous games involving Matthews, said he will
always remember how she played.
"I've been around the game for over 20 years and you can spot a kid with
that much raw talent a mile away," Carver said. "She was throwing at
least 70 miles per hour, and that's something. I know some people may not agree
but I thought [Bri] was as good or better as [U.S. Olympic gold medal pitcher]
Jennie Finch."
Matthews -- who grew up in a modest environment with her sister, mother and
stepfather, Diondre Price -- played a variety of sports. After excelling in
everything from basketball to volleyball, she took to softball after Martinez
signed her up for a local youth league when she was 8.
"She didn't know what it was to go half-speed, literally, with anything
that she did," Martinez said about her daughter, who had a 0.94 ERA with
138 strikeouts in 107 innings last season for Mater Dei.
"I remember when she was 8 or 9 years old and was just starting pitching
lessons. Her pitching coach at the time wanted her to slow down and feel what
she was doing with her pitching. So they moved her up closer to the catcher and
told her to take her time so she could feel her pitch.
"But my daughter couldn't do it. She just could not slow down. She threw
the ball as if she was pitching at full distance. That's just how she was.
Everything she did, she did it at full speed."
It's this never-back down attitude that helped separate Matthews from her
peers. She was known to arrive to practice an hour early in order to warm up
for warm-ups, and was always the last person you wanted to promise a ride home
after practice.
That's because Matthews also put in extra time to work on her game and often
considered her workouts just half over once practice ended.
"She wanted to achieve things in life," Jackson said.
"Everything she tried, she excelled at and physically, she could have been
a star in any sport."
Matthews, who had a complete career goal list by the time she began to play for
Jackson when she was 11, also proved her toughest critic.
"Bri always had kind of a little cloud in her life," Jackson said.
"She was a happy kid who worked hard but she always had a little cloud.
Personally, I don't know why. But it was there."
At the tribute for Matthews, Jackson addressed rumors that have surrounded her
death.
"People are saying different things," Jackson said. "They come
up to me and say, 'Do you think it was the pressure? Do you think it was the
boyfriend? Whatever it was, it really doesn't matter now. So that's what I
didn't want to do and that's talk about those issues. I was trying to make the
point that if you even discuss what it might be, you are lending credence that
one of those reasons might be good enough."
It's been the out-of-sight whispers that have bothered Martinez the most since
her daughter's death.
"The toughest thing has been coming to grips with the fact that your child
is no longer here and that you did your best but somehow that wasn't
enough," Martinez said. "You can't help but think about why you
couldn't do more.
"I know that it's probably something that I should not have done but to
fill my time, I've read all of the comments that people have left on stories
about her death and on different internet sites.
"Anybody that has done anything at the level that [Bri] was at knows that
you don't get that good without a personal commitment. I know that people like
to speculate about pressure being put on her but I would like to stress the
fact that there's nothing anyone can do to push people to excel at the level
where she was.
"It takes a personal commitment and that's the truth. You can't make
people go run. You can't make them put in that extra work to be great. ... It's
something that she did. Something that she wanted to be the best at."
Source: Fanhouse
Submitted by Dave Turner - Lakeville
UW Eau Claire: Softball Returns
Solid Group in 2010 3/11/10
With a strong group of returners, the UW-Eau Claire softball team will look
to improve over last season's record of 28-16.
The Blugolds made their fourth straight appearance in the
NCAA Division III Regional last year, but went 1-2 to end their post-season
run. The Blugolds won the 2008 National Championship and finished third in
2007. The 2010 season provides extra incentive to make a national title run as
UW-Eau Claire and the City of Eau Claire will host the 2010 NCAA Division III
Softball Championship, May 21-25 at Gelein Field in Carson Park.
Eau Claire welcomes back 12 letterwinners from last season,
and every one of them played in 16 games or more in 2009. The Blugolds also
have four returners who received All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference recognition last year, first teamers Aleisha Harper
(So.-Mondovi, Wis./Eau Claire North) and Katie
Stalker (Sr.-Madison, Wis./La Follette) and honorable mention
selections Bekki Kidnie (Sr.-St. Paul, Minn./Johnson)
and Ainsley Klar (Sr.-La Crosse, Wis./Aquinas).
Harper, Kidnie and Stalker also received National Fastpitch Coaches Association
(NFCA) second team All-Region honors while Harper was named to the
All-Tournament team at the NCAA Regional.
In the infield, the Blugolds have several experienced
players returning. Stalker, Harper, Klar, and Jess Freagon
(So.-Chippewa Falls, Wis./McDonell) will all vie for significant
playing time this season in the infield. Freagon started 21 times last year
while the other three made no less than 32 starts. Stalker and Harper were also
the Blugolds' top two hitters a season ago as they both had batting averages of
above .400. Klar will get the early nod at first base and will be looked upon
to step up offensively in her senior year. Stalker will look to lead the
infield at second base while Harper, after playing 32 games at second base last
year, will make the permanent switch to third base to provide more speed at the
hot corner.
The early season starter at shortstop will be
Samantha Weix (Fr.-Elk Mound, Wis.), a first-year
player who has experienced significant improvement both offensively and
defensively during the first few weeks of indoor workouts. Other players who
will compete for infield roles include veteran Kaity Acker
(Jr.-Cross Plains, Wis./Middleton), who started seven games last year
while playing in 17, as well as newcomers, Brittany Bergquist
(Fr.-Stevens Point, Wis./SPASH) and Emily Haluska
(Fr.-Stevens Point, Wis./SPASH). Haluska joined the squad just a week
ago after competing for the Blugold women's hockey team this season.
In the circle, three pitchers will vie for time.
Ashley Meinen (So.-Chippewa Falls, Wis./McDonell),
who made 27 appearances a season ago and started 10 times, is the lone
returning pitcher. Meinen went 8-6 on the season while striking out 50 batters
and held a 2.46 ERA. However, freshmen Jess Hegseth
(Fr.-Zumbrota , Minn./Zumbrota-Mazeppa ) and Kassie
Krummel (Fr.-Walcott, Iowa/Durant) will look to make an
impact early in the year.
The Blugolds should be in good hands behind the plate as
Kidnie, a senior who has started in 128 games, and Nikki
Bromelkamp (So.-Zumbrota, Minn./Zumbrota-Mazeppa), a
sophomore who has started 10 times and played in 16 games, will both get
significant time. When not catching, the tandem will provide solid options in
the DP position. Freshman Jenny Hess (Fr.-Wisconsin
Rapids, Wis./Lincoln) has improved a lot during early season workouts as
well and may get a few innings behind the dish. Her speed, work ethic and
heads-up base running have also earned her a role as a pinch runner heading
into the season.
In the outfield, Sara Baumgartner
(Jr.-Arcadia, Wis.) and Tamara Zeman (Sr.-Lodi,
Wis.) are back and both saw 41 starts last year. Baumgartner primarily
started in centerfield while Zeman was mostly in right field and both will be
back in those positions providing a strong defensive presence, but Coach
Huntington has challenged them to produce offensively this season to secure
their spots. In left field, five different Blugolds saw starts last year so the
Blugolds will look for more consistency in the spot this year. Meghan
O'Hearn (Jr.-Woodbury, Minn.), Emily Muller
(So.-Lancaster, Wis.), and Ashley Kenworthy
(Fr.-Tomah, Wis.) will challenge for the final outfield spot. All
three players provide speed and arm strength, and they all bring something
different to the plate. Who starts in left field may be determined by the
opponent the Blugolds face. Allison Carpenter (Fr.-Eagan,
Minn.) will sit out the 2010 season due to season-ending shoulder surgery.
The Blugolds also return a large part of their offense from
a season ago. This year's returners accounted for 211 of the team's 266 runs
last year, 299 of the 399 hits, 162 of the 233 RBIs and 10 of the team's 15
home runs.
Eau Claire opens the season Friday when it competes in the
NFCA Leadoff Classic in Panama City Beach, Florida. The Blugolds will play six
games on the trip, with three opponents already known as they begin in pool
play, while the final three will be determined when the tournament switches to
bracket play. Eau Claire will be at home for the first time on April 7 while
opening conference play April 8. The Blugolds will play at least five opponents
who were ranked in the preseason NFCA Top 25 poll.
Head Coach Leslie Huntington returns for her ninth year
leading the team and holds a 233-112 career record, the fifth most wins by any
coach in WIAC history, and the Blugolds' all-time winningest coach. Robin Baker
is also back for her ninth year as an assistant. Rachael Click, a former
softball All-American at Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.), will also serve as
an assistant while Stacey Epping starts her third season as a student
assistant. Also joining the coaching staff will be manager Karen Hansen, a
freshman from Amery, Wis. who was unable to try out for the team in the fall
due to ACL surgery.
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Effort and Attitude 3/11/10
by Jennifer Schroeder
The most winningest female coach of all time, Sue Enquist,
used to always tell me: “There are only two things in the game of softball
that you can control; your effort , and your attitude .”
As a player, I took this statement to heart, and as a coach, I continue to
preach her message.
EFFORT:
How hard do you try? What kind of effort are you giving? It’s not about
being the most talented player on the field, it’s about being the hardest
working. My dad used to always tell me “Work now, play later.”
I’m going to admit, I haven’t always been the greatest in accepting
advice, but I wish I had taken that line to heart a little more.
Not one coach or parent can force a player to work hard, but ultimately, one of
two players will emerge: 1) the player that takes a gamble, hoping her talent
will get the job done for her, or 2) the player that puts the work in, day
after day, to give her talent the best chance of showing up on game day.
I remember being 13 years old. In my backyard. Alone. Setting up a tee. Taking
swing after swing. Twenty inside, twenty middle, twenty outside, repeat. You
know the list of chores parents leave on the kitchen counter during the summer?
My families looked like this: 1) clean room 2) put away dishes 3) vacuum hall
4) hit off the tee. Obviously, the idea of putting forth an “effort”
was ingrained in me at a young age, but ultimately, it was up to me to do so.
Now, don’t get me wrong, sure, I slacked off, but every time I did, it
haunted me on game day.
Remember, no one controls how hard you try, but YOU. So, sprint onto that
softball field, yell a little louder, be the first person at practice, and the
last person to leave. Be in control of your own successes, trust me, it’s
worth the time.
ATTITUDE:
Do you like striking out? No! No one does, that’s obvious. The real
question is: Are you going to let that strike out effect your psyche for the
rest of the game? You better say no. Your attitude and how you respond to
failure, is the second thing that only YOU can control.
As a former player I understand how “mental” the sport of softball
is. Think about it, if you get a hit 5 out of 10 times, you are almost
guaranteed All-American status. That’s failing just as much as you are
succeeding, an F on an academic test. Therefore, the game of softball must be
about staying positive and conquering adversity.
If you are the player who strikes out and immediately your chin drops, you
shake your head, and the pitch that you just K’d on is repeating over and
over in your head, then this message is for you. Let it go. Flush it. Get over
it. You are going to have another at bat, you are probably going to have
another hundred at bats. Don’t let your negative mindset affect the rest
of your game. The most successful softball players are the one’s that can
adjust the quickest and stay positive, the ones that always see a chance to get
better through failure.
I know what it is like to have a screaming coach. I know what it is like to
have a moron umpire. And, I know what it is like to play in terrible weather
conditions. But, I also know that these things are out of my control. I can
only control ME, MY mindset, and MY attitude. So I strive to stay positive and
learn from my mistakes, and I dare you to do the same.
Source:
ESPN
Submitted by Chris Howells
Rollin’s Roser and
Winona’s Struzynski Named Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division II National
Players of the Week 3/11/10
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Junior Christine Roser of Rollins and junior pitcher Stacey
Struzynski of Winona State have been named the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division
II National Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for games played
during the week of March 1-7.
Roser helped guide the Tars to a 5-1 record at the West Georgia Invitational
last week by going 11-for-20 with nine runs, 13 RBIs, one double, one triple,
three homeruns, three walks and just one strikeout.
The Winter Springs, Fla., native hit a solo homerun in Rollins’ 2-1 win
over Columbus State and recorded five RBIs in the 13-4 win over North Alabama.
She finished the week with a 1.150 slugging percentage and a .542 on-base
percentage. The 20th–ranked Tars are currently 13-1 on the year.
No. 5 Winona State opened the season with a six-game sweep at the National
Training Center in Clermont, Fla., thanks in large part to 20 scoreless innings
from Struzynski.
The Homewood, Ill., native gave up just eight hits and five walks while not
allowing any runs and striking out 34 over three straight shutout wins.
Struzynski tossed a pair of one-hitters on the week, against No. 9 Kutztown and
Dominican (NY), to go along with two 10-plus strikeout performances.
Submitted by David Wolvington
NDSU's Melissa Chmielewski Named
Summit League Softball Player of the Week 3/11/10
North Dakota State University first baseman Melissa Chmielewski won her
second Summit League Softball Player of the Week award, while UMKC's Anna
Sokolik was named Pitcher of the Week for their performance March 1-7. The
league office made the announcement Monday, March 8.
Chmielewski, a senior from Circle Pines, Minn. (Centennial H.S.) hit .438
(7-for-16), with two doubles, a grand slam and 14 RBI at the Colorado State
Classic last week. She recorded her third grand slam of the season and sixth of
her career in a 9-1 win over Utah State on March 7.
Overall, Chmielewski is hitting .464 with five home runs and 33 RBI. She has
hit safely in 15 of 18 games this season. Chmielewski has scored 13 runs,
clubbed eight doubles and received 10 walks in 18 games.
On the North Dakota State career charts, Chmielewski ranks third all-time in
RBI (185), is tied for third in home runs (33), is fourth in slugging
percentage (.617) and is tied for fifth in doubles (42). She earned the weekly
honor for the second time this season and sixth time in her career.
NDSU (11-7) is scheduled to play Wright State (6-10) at 10 a.m. Friday, March
12, in the opening game of the Texas A&M University Aggie Invitational at
College Station.
Submitted by Minnesota Irish
UW La Crosse Athletes take honors as
(WIAC) Position and Pitcher of the Week 3/10/10
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse freshman outfielder Lauren
Schaller of Onalaska (Holmen) and junior pitcher Heather Schultz of Annandale,
Minn. (H.S.) have been selected the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference (WIAC) Position and Pitcher of the Week, the league office announced
Tuesday.
Schaller hit .636 in UW-L's first eight games as the Eagles went 7-1. She was
14-for-22 with nine RBI and eight runs scored. Schaller also hit four home runs
with two doubles and a 1.273 slugging percentage. She leads UW-L in average,
hits, home runs and total bases (28). Schaller had at least one hit in seven of
eight contests, including five multi-hit games.
Schultz went 4-0 in four appearances to start the season with a 1.02 earned run
average. She earned victories over Simpson College (Iowa), Concordia University
(Wis.), Augsburg College (Minn.) and Concordia-Moorhead University (Minn.).
Pitching 20.2 innings, Schultz allowed three runs and four walks while striking
out 24. She had a complete-game win over Augsburg March 5, pitching 7.0
innings, allowing four hits and two walks with eight strikeouts.
UW-L returns to action Sunday, March 14 against Southwestern University (Texas)
in Tucson, Arizona starting at noon.
Submitted by: Dave Johnson - UW La Crosse
Griner's punch: The rise of bad
behavior in women's sports? 3/9/10
Standing 6-foot-8, Baylor University's Brittney Griner gets a lot of
attention from opposing players on the basketball court. After Wednesday
night's game, she is sure to attract a lot more.
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The 19-year-old freshman, who is one of only two players to
dunk twice in a women's college basketball game, punched Texas Tech
University's Jordan Barncastle in the face after the two jostled for position
beneath the basket. Following the game Kim Mulkey, Baylor's head coach,
announced that she would bench Griner for another game in addition to the
National Collegiate Athletic Association's standard one-game suspension for a
physical altercation.
SEE THE VIDEO: Baylor's Brittney Griner and Texas Tech's Jordan Barncastle
A similarly unsavory incident occurred at another women's
basketball game, albeit on a much smaller stage, a few weeks earlier. Following
a loss to Blinn College, the head coach and a player from Trinity Valley
Community College were arrested for assaulting police officers who tried to
prevent them accosting the game's referees, who were on their way to the locker
room. Coach Bill Damuth and Lesha Dunn, a freshman, are awaiting punishment
from the college and the National Junior College Athletic Association.
These two instances of unsportsmanlike behavior have
followers of women's sports and gender studies scholars talking. These kinds of
outbursts are not new to women's sports, but they often generate a markedly
different media response than similar actions by male athletes.
Last year, for instance, a University of New Mexico soccer
player was featured on websites across the Internet and sports clips television
shows for violently dragging an opposing player to the ground by her ponytail.
Though Elizabeth Lambert was not ejected from the conference semifinal game in
question, she was later banned indefinitely from competition, following public
outcry.
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NCAA officials were quick to note that these incidents are
not indicative of a trend of increasing violence.
"There is no place in any NCAA sports contests for
violent conduct," wrote Joni Comstock, NCAA vice president for
championships, in a statement to Inside Higher Ed. "Women's sports have
continued to make strides in skill, ability and overall quality of play, and
for that we are all pleased. Consider the thousands of intercollegiate
athletics events that occur each year, these are isolated cases. However, there
is no tolerance for inappropriate and overly aggressive behavior that endangers
the well-being of another student-athlete. Good sportsmanship continues to be a
pillar of intercollegiate athletics in the NCAA."
Officials from the two-year college world of athletics also
denied that there has been any such uptick.
"We track non-violent and violent ejections in the
NJCAA and our data does not point to an increase of these types of incidents in
women's athletics," wrote Mark Krug, NJCAA spokesman, in an e-mail.
"However, any incident of this type is very unfortunate and takes the
attention away from those student-athletes that play the game correctly and
strive to represent themselves and their schools with sportsmanship and
class."
Krug noted that during the 2008-9 academic year, there were
101 total ejections in all of NJCAA women's sports and that only 37 of those
were considered "violent ejections." That is relatively low, compared
to the figures for men: that during the same academic year, Krug said, there
were 648 total ejections in men's games, 177 of which were "violent."
Numbers for the current seasons are not available yet.
Advocates for women's athletics had varying responses to the
recent high-profile incidents. Most noted that too much pressure is being put
on all athletes, whether male orfemale.
"It seems that we are moving on a line that equates
female athletes with male athletes in the both behavior and performance ...
that if they can't dunk or pitch a perfect game or run the perfect race,
problems arise," wrote Pam Noakes, executive director of the National
Association for Girls and Women in Sport. "NAGWS has long been an advocate
of Title IX and gender equity, but that does not mean that female athletes
should act like male athletes. It seems that these behavior blips on the sports
screen for women (Griner's punch and the soccer ponytail incident) are warning
signs for us that we should all be more vocal in setting standards of behavior
that are appropriate and enforcing good decision-making in our athletes."
Noakes's colleague, Shawn Ladda, president of NAGWS and a
professor of physical education and human performance at Manhattan College, had
a similar response. However, as a former women's soccer coach at Columbia
University, she said last fall's ponytail incident struck her close to home.
"I saw that clip, and I talked about it a lot with the
students in my class and on our soccer team," Ladda said. "It's
important that, as a coach, we are role models to teach sportsmanship. When I
was a coach, I didn't care who you were, even if you were my best player, you
would have been benched for behavior like that."
Still, she noted that social expectations make incidents
like this more of a media sensation when they occur between female athletes.
"There is a double standard out there," Ladda
said. "When we see incidents occur in men's athletics, we don't think it's
a big deal. It's almost expected. But, when it happens in women's athletics,
people are somehow alarmed. Honestly, I find it appalling in any athletics.
Still, there is less sportsmanlike behavior in women's sports than there used
to be, and I think that's from the increasing demands to win."
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Carrie L. Lukas, vice president for policy and economics for
the Independent Women's Forum and author of The Politically Incorrect Guide
to Women, Sex, and Feminism, had another take.
"This is part of a broader issue; we shouldn't be
encouraging women to act like boys," Lukas said. "If anything, we
should encourage men to act in toward the more feminine aesthetic. When we see
sportsmanship eroding in girls, it should be a sign. We should say that there
is still something of value in it. We should remind women, it's not weak to
play fair or even be courteous or sportsmanlike. Young women are supposed to
know better."
She also argued that the media likes to sensationalize this
type of bad behavior from female athletes.
"This is part of a larger girls-gone-wild appreciation
society has for girls doing bad things," Lukas said. "Girls are
either a goody-two-shoes or a total bad-ass. We need to give them space to just
be girls."
Other critics, particularly those who advocate on behalf of
Title IX issues, took a less gendered approach to their analysis.
"Women's sports and women athletes by and large are the
gold standard of exemplary conduct and extraordinary role models," wrote
Karen Durkin, spokeswoman for the Women's Sports Foundation, a Title IX
advocacy group, in an e-mail. "This (recent incident) is both unfortunate
and an aberration. & This speaks first and foremost to sportsmanship and
conduct, not to the gender of the athletes involved. Tough physical play and
emotions running high in the heat of competition are inherent in sports but in
no way excuse athletes from behaving appropriately. While isolated incidents
like these may never cease completely, they do reinforce the need to continue
to instill in all athletes that exemplary behavior is a key component of what
it takes to be a successful athlete."
Source:
USA Today
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USSSA Opportunities 3/8/10
2010 USSSA is offerings new and exciting opportunities this
year for all ages and playing levels from A, B and C level teams to elite
teams.
Comprised below is information of the USSSA opportunities this year. Our goal
is to start helping teams get sanctioned earlier and get them on the Who's
Coming List on the National Tournament Host Site. This allows teams to get all
the updated information. This tool will help the host keep you updated on the
National Tournaments and items such as hotels, new events and other teams
attending the nationals all year long. After your team sanctions USSSA please
send the team information and the events your team is planning on attending and
we can help get your team set up early with the Who's Coming List.
All teams must be sanction USSSA at all USSSA National Qualifiers
tournaments
Go to USSSA Minnesota web site for sanctioning forms at
http://mnsportsgroup.com
Sanctioning your team is easy on usssa.com at the cost of $30 if you complete
the sanctioning online or print and fill out the form that is online at
mnsportsgroup.com along with $25 to the address from the website.
Each team receives a web page after sanctioning where the teams can add team
pictures, rosters and receive your team results from USSSA events. USSSA
points, power rating and tournaments results will not show up without your
roster being added.
World Series Events
You will not find a better ran national in the country, which are very well
attended by many different states in our region. Plus all World Series are
about 4 to 7 driving hours away for all ages.
Florida World Series at the ESPN Wide World of Sports may be the best event in
the country.
For more information www.usssaroadtoorlando.com
Conference USSSA
Conference championship festival, all star games, travel money, equipment prize
packages, championship rings, Minnesota conference events are: Minnesota Irish
College Showcase and USSSA State Tournament. The Minnesota Irish Showcase
Tournament are drawing teams from Nebraska, Kansas City and Chicago they're
attending because of the USSSA Conference events and the college exposure.
For more information go to http://www.usssaregion5.com/cusssa.aspx
Midwest National Championship is hosted by Minnesota and Iowa Directors this
event will be held at Erickson Park in Rosemount Minnesota and will be a 4 day
Border Battle. With all the National Tournament amenities and cheap enough for
you attend after your World Series Event USSSA State is open to all 14U, 16U
and 18U teams NOTE:
If your team is attending a World Series Event the teams must play in USSSA
State.
Obituary: Robert L. (Bob) Turner
3/4/10
Turner, Robert L. (Bob) age 76, of Burnsville, went to be
with the Lord on March 3rd, 2010.
He was preceded in death by grandson, Lucas Habisch;
sister, Elizabeth Zizzler; and brother, John Turner. He is survived by his
wife, companion, friend and love of his life, Pat; brother, Mike (Joyce)
Turner; sons, David Metcalf and Brian Juul; daughters, Jodi (Mark) Habisch and
Cathy Juul (Mike) Adams; grandchildren, Tony Metcalf, Lauren and Nick Habisch,
Callie and Zack Adams, and his special angel, granddaughter, Cayla Juul.
Bob attended Bloomington schools through graduation, U of
ND, and U of MN. Bob was a Korean War veteran. He was an avid sports fan and
officiated small college and high school sports for 50 years. He officiated
football, basketball, and fastpitch softball including many state tournaments.
Bob and Pat were the only husband and wife to officiate at a MN State High
School Tournament together.
Bob was a member of the MN High School Fastpitch Coaches
Hall of Fame.
The last touchdown scored, the last basket made, the last
pitch thrown, and the last out called. Bob leaves us to play on the Lord's
team.
Mass of Christian Burial 11 AM Monday, March 8, 2010 at
Church of the Risen Savior, 1501 E. Co. Rd., 42 Burnsville, with visitation
Sunday, from 3 - 7 PM at White Funeral Home, 12804 Nicollet Ave. S., Burnsville
and also one hour prior to Mass at Church.
Interment Fort Snelling National Cemetery.
A guest book at:
www.whitefuneralhomes.com
Burnsville 952-894-5080
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SCSU's Koski Named NSIC Player of
the Week 3/2/10
Freshman first baseman Ally Koski (Savage) was named the
first 2010 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference softball player of the week
after a solid debut weekend in a St. Cloud State uniform.
Koski had a breakout weekend for St. Cloud State, rattling off 10 hits and 14
RBI in her collegiate debut weekend.
In the first game of the Husky Dome Classic against Southwest Minnesota State
Feb. 27, Koski swung for her first career walk off homer with a grand slam over
the center field fence in the bottom of the fifth inning to secure the 13-3
victory. The Husky cleanup hitter then added her second homer of the weekend in
a 4-for-4 performance against Bemidji State in a huge 18-1 thrashing of the
Beavers.
With the first six games of the season in the books, the first year lefty leads
the squad in doubles (3), homeruns (2) and RBI (14). Koski finished the week
9-19, a .526 batting average, while stealing two bases and recording 46 put
outs at first base.
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