Megan Gibson Worth Fastpitch Expert Texas ©2012 Worth Sports, a subsidiary of Jarden Corporation (NYSE:JAH) 510 Maryville University Drive, Suite 110, St. Louis, MO 63141 • worthsports.com Megan Gibson Worth Fastpitch Expert Texas ©2012 Worth Sports, a subsidiary of Jarden Corporation (NYSE:JAH) 510 Maryville University Drive, Suite 110, St. Louis, MO 63141 • worthsports.com THIS GAME BUILDS CHARACTER JOIN OUR NEW MEMBER PROGRAM AND START SCORING YOUR REWARDS TODAY. GET 5% BACK SPORTS AUTHORITY on all in-store merchandise IS A PROUD when you earn 100 points or more PARTNER OF during a qualifying period. See store associate for more details. June 2012 Letter from the President 5 E.T. Colvin addresses the season ahead Faces on the Field 6 Meet the athletes who play ASA News and Notes 10 Headlines from the national, international softball world ASA Softball goes mobile! 14 ASA unveils a new mobile website Membership Spotlight 19 The Growth of an Umpire ASA 18-Under GOLD National 21 The 2012 ASA GOLD National will be held in Oklahoma City this July Association Profile 22 Q&A with Seattle-Tacoma ASA Commissioner Mike Rabin Jim Thorpe Native American Games 25 Recap of the fast pitch softball portion of these inaugural games World Cup VII and Border Battle IV Umpires 28 Umpires are selected for the 2012 World Cup and Border Battle games Women’s College World Series 36 Alabama claims the 2012 Women’s College World Series Title ASA Hall of Fame and Museum Renovations 40 National Softball HOF and Museum and gift shop reopen with a new look Executive Director Men’s Slow Pitch National Teams Ron Radigonda 46 Meet the 2012 Men’s Slow Pitch National teams Women’s National Team Selection Camp Editor 50 Team USA attends selection camp in Ashland, Ohio Steven Embree New Face, Same Winning Attitude 55 Team USA keeps the winning tradition alive heading into the 2012 World Cup Contributors Decolati Umps Veterans’ Wheelchair Games Julie Bartel 57 Pittsburg native volunteers his time to umpire E.T. Colvin Softball to Enter U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame Elaine Dykhouse 58 Lisa Fernandez and the ‘04 Olympic Team will be inducted into U.S. Olympic HOF Daniel Jones USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Mike Rabin 64 Oklahoma’s Keilani Ricketts is selected as the 2012 Player of the Year Cassi Rogers From the Vault Kevin Ryan 66 Unique items in the National Softball Hall of Fame and Museum archives Steve Walker Codi Warren Design Old Hat Creative www.oldhatcreative.com The Official Publication of The Amateur Softball Association / USA Softball Balls and Strikes Softball Magazine is published annually by the Amateur Softball Association 2801 N.E. 50th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73111, (405) 424-5266. Balls and Strikes Softball® is a federally registered trademark of the Amateur Softball Association of America © Amateur Softball Association 2012 Visit us on the Internet: www.asasoftball.com & www.usasoftball.com Letter from the President Hello softball fans, thank you for reading this issue of Balls and Strikes maga- zine. This is a very exciting time of the year in the softball world as teams enter the heart of their seasons and some begin preparations for Championship play. Softball is in full swing across the country and even making appearances on ESPN from time to time. Our national teams are putting the final touches on their preparation as they get ready to begin international play. Whether you are a player, coach, umpire or fan, good luck this season and enjoy it! ASA/USA National Championship qualifying tournaments are currently taking place across the coun- try. These National Championships include the highest level of competition in the game and are the pin- nacle of our youth programs. As you prepare for championship play, please make sure all of the paperwork is completed properly and submitted to the host on time as it will make for an easier experience for your team when you arrive to the event. ASA has a great tournament program and it is due to our coaches, players, Commissioners and Junior-Olympic Commissioners taking the time to manage it correctly. The 2012 Women’s College World Series (WCWS) recently came to another successful close at ASA Hall of Fame Complex in Oklahoma City, the National Headquarters of the Amateur Softball Association. The Crimson Tide of Alabama captured their first title defeating Oklahoma in the best-of-three championship series. The record-breaking crowds show that despite its exemption from the Olympics, the popularity of our sport is still growing at a tremendous rate. A total of 75,960 fans came through the turnstiles during the seven days of action, setting an all-time WCWS mark, easily topping the previous mark of 67,631 set in 2011. The record breaking crowds show that despite its exemption from the Olympics, the popularity of the sport is still growing at a tremendous rate. Our USA Women’s National Team recently returned from selection camp where the team’s final roster was named. The 2012 squad is stocked with talented athletes who will look to defend their World Cup of Softball Gold from last year in Oklahoma City, June 27-July 2. Following the World Cup, the team will travel to Surrey, B.C. for the Canadian Open Fastpitch Championships and then on to Whitehorse, Yukon for the ISF World Championships. The 2012 Men’s Slow Pitch National Team will also return to Oklahoma City later this month for the fourth annual Border Battle with the Canadian National Team. In addition to the Border Battle, this year a USA Men’s Slow Pitch Futures National Team will compete against both USA and Canada’s National teams in the days leading up to the Border Battle. All of which will take place in Oklahoma City. Thank you for all that you do and are continuing to do. On behalf of everyone at the ASA good luck for the remainder of your season! E.T. Colvin, President Amateur Softball Association of America Balls & Strikes SoftballMagazine FACES ON THE FIELD Every year, the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America has 365,000 Junior Olympic (JO) athletes playing on more than 78,000 teams while over 1 million adults play on nearly 106,000 teams across the United States. Meet Melanie Firestone, Sasha Margulies, Carolyn Campbell, Morgan Hawkins, Amber Morris, and Hailey Hicks, six of the athletes who play ASA fast pitch and slow pitch. MELANIE FIRESTONE, 10 Gaithersburg, Md. Red Raiders 12U Girls’ 12-Under Fast Pitch P/Infield SOFTBALL GOALS “My goals are to perfect my fastball, to throw more strikes than balls in games, to keep getting better every day, and to make it onto a high school team and then onto a college team.” 6 PROUDEST MOMENT “The toughest obstacle I have had to over- come is trying to be perfect at pitching. I used to get really upset if I didn't do something exactly right and it would mess me up for the rest of the game. Now, I try to reset and just move on after a bad pitch.” ROLE MODELS Kendra Knight from the University of Maryland, Jennie Finch and Dallas Escobedo. SASHA MARGULIES, 17 San Diego, Calif. Fury Softball Girls’ 18-Under GOLD Fast Pitch Catcher/1B FAVORITE THING “Hitting. It's the best part of the game. I Clockwise from top left: Amber think it’s where a softball player's talents really shine and where Morris, Carolyn Campbell, they enjoy the sport the most. Nothing feels better than getting Melanie Firestone, Sasha a clutch hit in a crucial situation.” Margulies. SOFTBALL GOAL “I've grown up watching the NCAA Women’s College World Series on television and wondering how cool it would be to win it all on the national level. Now that I have the fortune of playing for a Division I college softball program (I am committed to Ball State University, where I will play next fall) ROLE MODELS “I've always admired Kristie Fox who played at that’s exactly what I want to work towards. I really want to make Arizona. I honestly don't think there's any other player in our my family proud in the most spectacular way I can, helping my generation who has the knowledge and passion for the game as team to a National Title.” much as Kristie does.” Balls & Strikes SoftballMagazine Do you want to be profiled in “Balls and Strikes Online Softball Magazine” in the future? Click here for information on how to submit your profile and photo. ROLE MODELS “One of my role models is my pitching coach, Ron Engle. He has been training me every week since I was eight years old. He encourages me and motivates me to train hard and be the best pitcher I can be! Another role model is Jennie Finch. I admire her commitment to her Christian faith and her devotion to the sport of softball. I participated in a Jennie Finch training camp in 2009 and it was a great experience for me.” AMBER MORRIS, 15 Lancaster, Pa. Stingers Girls’ 18-Under Class A Fast Pitch Catcher/Outfield Left: Morgan Hawkins, Right: Haley Hicks TOUGHEST OBSTACLE “The toughest obstacle I've had to over- come in this sport was when I found out I had to get surgery on CAROLYN CAMPBELL, 15 my knee. Catching is my passion so when the doctor said I might not be able to do that anymore I was devastated, but I listened Vienna, Va. to everything he told me to do and worked my way back into Vienna Stars Elite 7 catching.” Girls’ 16-Under Class A Fast Pitch Pitcher/2B/Outfield SOFTBALL GOALS “My goals in high school are to go to state, in travel softball to place in nationals, and my overall goal is to play HER START “My parents were coaching high school varsity soft- Division I in college.” ball and always volunteering in the youth organizations.