home | welcome | news & events | parks | customer service | contacts | brochure | jobs | register online!
programs, classes, & activities | recreation centers & facilities | inside oakland | rental facilities | request a facility 
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
News & Events
|
home > news & events >
Girls Softball Gains in Oakland Posted in the Oakland Tribune on Tuesday June 1, 2004 Written by Ali Fard, Correspondent Bobby Sox League Helps local Youngsters Oakland ~ One of the most traditional American sports, softball, is thriving in Oakland, and it has a lot to do with volunteers and parents who love the the game. For more than 10 years, the Oakland Girls Softball League has been committed to getting girls ages 7 to 14 to play ball, mainly by publicizing through grass-roots efforts and through volunteers dedicated to the sport. The group's beginnings came in 1992, when Linda Thompson, a veteran softball coach, and other local softball enthusiasts formed the Oakland Bobby Sox League as a way for girls in Oakland to participate in team sports. Before Bobby Sox, there was the Oakland Babe Ruth League, which had a girls softball division, but without a regional or all-star tournament series. Having competitive tournament softball was important. "I think that young girls need every opportunity -- whether it's an after-school program or a weekend league program -- they need every opportunity that they can to participate in sports," said Thompson, who is now the women's head softball coach at Laney College. "Any sport that becomes available to a young athlete, whatever it is, is going to be advantageous to that child for being successful in life." The first season began in spring 1993 and since then about 200 girls participated each season. After years of having the Bobby Sox affiliation, the league joined the American Softball Association last year, a national organization for men and women of all ages. Rocky Laber, representative for the league and parent of a daughter who plays in the league, said the switch was made to be able to play more sanctioned regional tournaments and to be under the same umbrella organization that supports teams such as the U.S. Women's Olympic Softball team. Bobby Sox is based in Southern California, and all-star teams travel around for season tournaments. "We're kind of playing catch-up, because some of the teams, they've had a lot of years of experience in this whole tournament, and so they've got kids in the younger ages already with their sights set on playing games in the older ages," Laber said. "When the younger girls see that, we're hoping that it inspires them to really up their dedication to their sport and try to excel at it." Although the league's homebase is at the Redwood Heights Recreation Center in the Oakland hills, where many of the teams play at Owen Jones Field, the organization has recently aimed to get girls from every part of Oakland to play. "Rather than doing it exclusively here, we go out in neighborhoods that are under-represented," Laber said, adding he's having sign-up nights at neighborhoods such as West Oakland, East Oakland, Dimond, Rockridge and others. For Thompson, this was key in the foundation of girls softball in Oakland and its popularity versus other sports such as crew, lacrosse and soccer. "You don't really see a diversity in those sports," Thompson said. "Those sports are not here at our Oakland public schools. You mainly find those sports in the suburban areas. Softball is like baseball, every kid wants to play it. Every kid can play it." Some alumni of the league have succeeded years after graduating from the organization. Leah Nelson, who plays for Stanford, and Saskia Roberson, who plays for DePaul University in Chicago, both received scholarships to play softball in the collegiate leagues. Tyesia Hunter, who is playing for the National Women's Basketball League, had received a full scholarship to play softball at UC Berkeley before leaving to play basketball. And that's just naming a few. Girls softball also has a formidable presence in the Bay Area. The U.S. Women's Olympic Softball team will be playing an exhibition in Hayward on June 5 against a team of collegiate all-stars. Thompson said she will definitely be in attendance, bringing a couple of the girls from league. Many of the parents consider girls softball a bonding experience for the participants and a way for parents in the community to come together. "For me personally, getting my daughter involved was a way to increase more things we have in common," Laber, who also coaches a 10 and under division team, said. "I just think it's a great way to keep kids focused, having some kind of positive influence on them, with team goals, to participate in a team setting." Sydney Schimmel, league treasurer for the organization, said she's expecting the league will grow to have 400 girls playing each season. She is hoping support from the ASA affiliation will help this happen. "Girls have trouble competing once they get to a certain physical level," Schimmel said. "We give girls an opportunity to compete on the same par with each other in a sport that they like." The Oakland Girls Softball League is open to girls ages 7 through 14, forming about five leagues within the different age groups. It costs $100 to participate for the season, which includes the registration and team uniforms, with scholarships available. Closing ceremonies for the spring 2004 season will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, with local officials and radio personality Renel Brooks-Moon in attendance. The summer season begins in the middle of June. For more information about the Oakland Girls Softball League, call (510) 339-7268 or visit www.ogsl.org.The Oakland Tribune: Cityside
Oakland Tribune: General Contact Information
|
Related links: - Oakland Girls Softball League - Oakland Tribune - U.S. Women's Olympic Softball Team |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||
