Friday, Jul. 11, 2008

Field of Dreams Deferred

Cancellation of Softball at 2012 Olympics Affects Local Players, Parents, Coaches and Fans

By Stephen English

Staff Writer

When international softball teams finish competition in this year’s Summer Olympics, it will be the last time those players take the field as Olympians for at least eight years.

The news that Olympic softball, which begins play next month, won’t be part of the 2012 summer games in London hit some of the sport’s local devotees hard.

"My child, I love her to death," said Lori Barnhill, mother of 2007 All-American softball player and Northwest High School graduate Brittany Barnhill. "She’s just a stubborn redhead, and [when she heard the news], she said, 'Well, that just sucks!’"

Kami Myles’ two daughters have Carroll softball ties. Kristina, a recent graduate who played for the Lady Dragons, and Kayla, an incoming sophomore pitcher, felt the effects.

"It’s devastating," Myles said of the one-vote decision by the International Olympic Committee [IOC] to exclude softball from the London Summer Games in 2012. "These girls have grown up with the dream of playing collegiate and then going on and trying out for the Olympics."

A campaign has already been organized to bring softball back for 2016.

"Right now, the International Softball Federation [ISF] has put together a plan to do what they can between now and the 2016 Olympic Games," said Marcus High School softball coach Christy Tumilty. "There’s no turning back on 2012."

At www.BackSoftball.com, supporters can read about the ISF’s 10-point blueprint for convincing the IOC to reinstate softball at its meeting next year in Copenhagen, Denmark. Merchandise is available for online purchase, with proceeds supporting the ISF campaign.

Softball supporters can also voice their opinions on a designated message board at the ISF Web site. Visit www.internationalsoftball.com/english/mes_brd_544/support_softball.asp.

Grapevine High School softball coach Steve Bottoms said softball, which does not have a large or well-known professional circuit, relies heavily on the Olympics to inspire younger players.

"I think [the Olympics] gives the sport a lot of exposure; it makes the kids want to go out and play it. It’s just good for the sport," he said.

When Myles’ daughters were younger, the family went to see the U.S. Olympic team in Portland, Ore., where the girls had the opportunity to work out with Dot Richardson, Lisa Fernandez and other softball luminaries. Myles said that after the experience, there was no doubt her daughters would pursue their softball careers as far as possible.

Barnhill said other opportunities exist, but pale in comparison to playing the sport in the venue of the Olympic.

"There is a [softball] World Cup, but the Olympics are a dream of little kids everywhere," she said.

Theories abound on why the IOC didn’t support softball for the 2012 games. For starters, softball isn’t played in every country in the world. That reasoning doesn’t make sense to Bottoms, however.

"I mean, there are enough obscure sports at the Olympics that a whole lot of people don’t follow," he said.

Another school of thought is that the Americans’ dominance led to a boredom factor. The U.S. team faced no truly stiff competition en route to gold in 2004.

"I want to see the U.S. dominate, but some of the college teams they’re playing on their tour, they’re beating 20-0," Barnhill said. "Where’s the competition in that?"

For Barnhill, whose daughter is 19, it’s a bit frustrating to see older stars like Fernandez remain on the U.S. team when bringing in younger athletes could give more players an Olympic experience and also provide the parity the IOC seeks.

"The IOC, their main complaint is that the U.S. is too dominant in the sport. So they could have leveled the playing field a little bit by saying, 'OK, we’ll let some of these college players come and play.’ They could have implemented that this year."

Myles defends the U.S. team’s decision not to change its roster, however.

"They’re the best, and if anybody could beat them out, they’d be on the team," she said.

However, Myles conceded that the eight-year gap will significantly lower the chances of competing in the Olympics for a lot of young women. She said the news was particularly devastating for her daughter Kristina, who will attend West Texas A&M this fall and won’t have the chance to try out for the Olympics until she’s four years out of college.

Myles said it must be even tougher for current college players, since most softball athletes aren’t as durable as Fernandez, who continues to compete into her mid-30s.

"She’s an anomaly, that woman," Myles said. "Nobody can compete with Lisa Fernandez – she’s just amazing."

Tumilty pointed out that the IOC’s decision affects many people besides players and their parents.

"Everybody who loves the sport is obviously disappointed," she said.