December 18, 2008

“It’s an honor to be named the USA Softball Player of the Year as I was surrounded by such an amazing group of athletes daily throughout this past year,” said Bustos. “Although the outcome of the gold medal game wasn’t what we would have liked, I am so thankful for being able to represent my country for so many years.”

Bustos was stellar throughout the 2008 Olympic Games, including coming out strong in the semi-final and gold medal game. In the semifinal match-up, Bustos blasted a three-run home run against Japanese pitching ace Yukiko Ueno in the top of the ninth inning giving the U.S. the 4-1 victory. Bustos also scored the only U.S. run in the gold medal game with a solo home run again off of Ueno. Her next at bat was an intentional walk, the third of the Games for her.

Bustos wrapped up the Beijing Games hitting .500 (11-for-22) with a team-high six home runs and 10 RBI. She also broke two of her own records as well as tied one. She broke the record of most home runs hit (5) in an Olympic Games with six and broke her Olympic slugging percentage of .923 from 2004 hitting 1.318 in 2008. She recorded 12 runs as the U.S. outscored opponents 58-5, while tying her own RBI Olympic record with 10 from 2004.

She finishes her Olympic career with four records including the career home run Olympic record with 14 from 2000, 2004 and 2008.

Bustos retired her cleats after the 3-1 loss on home plate of the Fengtai Stadium and will forever be remembered and appreciated by the ASA and fans across the world.

November 26, 2008

The Athlete Ambassadors will represent softball at different international events and be utilized to garner more support from other softball players as well as influential people in various international audiences. They represent all five regions including Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania.

Two-time Olympian Michele Smith (USA Softball, 1996 & 2000) will serve in a chairperson role for the group, which consists of the following:

Lynn Alexander (OF) South Africa Played in 2007 Africa/Europe Olympic qualifier
Alison Bradley (OF) Canada Two-time Olympian (2004 & 2008)
Daniela Castellani (P/1B) Italy Two-time Olympian (2000 & 2004)
Luciola Figueroa (C) Puerto Rico Played in 2007 Americas Olympic qualifier
Gergana Handjiyska (IF) Bulgaria Played in 2007 Africa/Europe Olympic qualifier
Saskia Kosterink (OF) Netherlands 2008 Olympian
Jessica Mendoza (OF) USA Two-time Olympian (‘04 – gold medal, ‘08 – silver)
Chueh Ming Hui (P) Chinese Taipei 2008 Olympian
Rubilena Rojas (OF) Venezuela 2008 Olympian
Danielle Stewart (IF) Australia 2008 Olympian (bronze medalist)
Zhou Yi (OF) China Two-time Olympian (2004 & 2008)
Sibylle Züercher (P) Switzerland Played in ‘07 European Women’s Championship B

Visit the official Back Softball campaign website for more info.

November 13, 2008

BMX made it’s debut in Beijing and the International Cycling Federation wants to include a freestyle event for the London games.

But last year, attempts to introduce skateboarding to the London Olympics failed.

The sports for London 2012 have already been decided but there are currently seven sports short-listed for consideration 2016 Summer Games. Only two will be added.

Leaders of baseball and softball, along with five other sports seeking inclusion in the Olympics, will present their cases to the International Olympic Committee in Geneva this week.

Golf, karate, roller sports, rugby and squash officials will also meet the 16-member commission, which will deliver a report to the IOC before the  members vote in October.

Baseball and softball were dropped after the Beijing Games because they didn’t receive enough votes in 2005 to remain on the 2012 program.

(more…)

October 15, 2008

This year’s event delivered a dose of inspiration and awe when more than 70 of the planet’s top female athletes gathered at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City to celebrate the achievements of girls and women in sports. The event raised more than $1 million that will be turned into grants and educational and advocacy-related programming.

Jessica Mendoza, who was a part of the silver-medal U.S. Olympic softball team, was named Sportswoman of the Year for team athletes at the celebratory awards dinner.

Other honorees included Patience Knight, who won the Wilma Rudolph Courage Award for exhibiting extraordinary courage in her athletic performance and demonstrating the ability to overcome adversity.

The Billie Jean King Contribution Award was presented the Women’s Tennis Association for it’s significant contributions to the development and advancement of women’s sports in general and to the Women’s Sports Foundation specifically.

An tribute was also made to the All-American Girls’ Professional Baseball League players for their pioneering athleticism in the 1940s and 1950s. Five players from the league were given a standing ovation as they took the stage.

Kudos to the organizers, participants, and honorees!

Six months ago, Angela Tincher led Virginia Tech University to a historical no hit, shut out win against Team USA. Today, Tincher lists her favorite things.

Fave TV Show: Heroes

Fave Song: Anything by Rascal Flats and Keith Urban

Fave Magazine: Sports Illustrated

Fave Book: Anything by John Grisham

Fave Subject: Math

Fave Athlete(s): Jessica Mendoza and Stacy Nuveman

Fave Movie Star: Jennifer Garner

Dream Job: Playing softball for the rest of my life

Girliest Thing You Like to Do: Get a pedicure

Thanks, Angela! 

What: Celebrate Columbus Day with silver-medal winning USA Women’s Softball Team

When: Monday, October 13, 2008 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

10 a.m. - 11 a.m: One-on-one interviews with Jennie Finch, Cat Osterman and the USA Softball team in the Billie Jean King International Sports Center

11 a.m. - 1 p.m.: Jennie Finch, Cat Osterman and the USA Women’s Softball Team in the Museum’s special event space for autograph signing

1 p.m. - 4 p.m.:  Kym Hampton (NY Liberty) skills clinic and autograph signing in the Museum’s special event space

Where: Sports Museum of America - 26 Broadway (at Beaver Street) - Lower Manhattan

More info

From the NY Daily News:

If you want to be even more baffled by the International Olympic Committee’s decision to end women’s softball but keep curling, come to the Sports Museum of America, at Broadway and Beaver St., at lunchtime on Columbus Day. The whole team will be there, including outfielder Jessica Mendoza, who’s been named the new head of the Women’s Sports Foundation…  Word is the IOC doesn’t like sports that Americans keep winning.

Six months ago, Angela Tincher led Virginia Tech University to a historical no hit, shut out win against Team USA. Today, Tincher shares what it’s like to play professional softball. 

Team: Akron Racers
Location: Akron, Ohio
2008 Record: 19 wins 29 loses
Season: Summer: June - August 

What’s a typical day like for a National Pro Fastpitch Player?
Each week during the season, we play four games in a row. On a typical game day, the games are at night. We usually sleep in during the morning. After we get up, we hang out at the house for a little bit. During the afternoon, we eat a good lunch and try to arrive at the field between three and four. Then, we warm up for three hours before the game. During the season when we’re not playing, we usually have a practice. And some days, we hold pitching and hitting clinics to help out kids. Other days, we make appearances and hang out with fans. 

Where do the players live? 
The team owns a few townhouses ten minutes from the stadium. Each house holds three teammate/roommates. 

What’s the best thing about being a NPF player?
Being paid to do what we love to do. Being able to keep playing as long as possible. 

What’s the average salary like for a NPF player?
It averages around $3000 to $5000 for rookies.  Each team has a $100,000 salary cap divided up between 20 players. We can also do lessons, camps, and clinics to make extra money. 

What do players do during the off-season?
As soon as the season is over, we can basically do whatever we want. A lot of the players have teaching jobs or college coaching jobs. Some players spend the rest of the year teaching at camps and clinics. And some NPF players earn their graduate degrees or continue college. 

How can a softball player make it to the professional level?
A lot of practice and time. I always enjoyed softball. I still love practices and playing. Luckily, I never got burned out. Even though, I missed a lot of time with my friends when I was off playing, it was all worth it in the end.     

Don’t miss next week’s Part 4: Angela Tincher shares her faves.   

What is your strength as a pitcher? Definitely movement. 

What was your highest clocked speed? At the World Series, I was told I was clocked at 70 miles per hour. I would say, I tend to throw upper 60’s, but not consistently. I don’t worry about speed. 

Did your pitching style change in college? I saw a big difference moving from forty to forty-three feet. It gave me more distance to work on my movement. Instead of throwing the ball past batters, I had to move the ball around a lot more. My rise ball and my drop ball got a lot better in college. 

What is the most important thing you do to improve your pitching? Weight training is huge for me. It helped with nagging injuries and to stay healthy.

What’s the best pitching drill? I always spin with either a spinner or a ball with a line on it. I focus a lot on that and it’s helped me with my movement a lot.

Describe what it was like to tryout for the Olympics. I attended the invitational tryout held at the Olympic training center in California last September. They invited thirty to forty players. I’ve attended big tryouts before, but this one was the best of the best. I was sharing the field with Jennie Finch and Jessica Mendoza. The first day they went through some drills and they watched us. But, the next day we were split into teams and we scrimmaged for the rest of the time. The pitchers rotated through. So we had a chance to throw for and against everyone at least once, including Crystal Bustos.

Check out Part 1: The Beginning here. Next Tuesday, Tincher lists her favorite things.

Six months ago, Angela Tincher led Virginia Tech University to a historical no hit, shut out win against Team USA. Every amazing athlete has a beginning. Check out Tincher’s story of her softball beginning below. 

Hometown: Eagle Rock, Virginia
High School: James River High School
ASA Teams: Roanoke Scrappers 14U and 18U, 18U Virginia Shamrocks 
College: Virginia Tech University

How old were you when you first started playing softball?
I started playing Little League when I was nine. I tried pitching at ten and I really started practicing pitching at eleven.

Did you love softball right away? Did you play any other sports?<em>
I tried dance, gymnastics, and basketball. None of those stuck. Softball was the one thing that I wanted to play year round. I played volleyball for five years, but it was just in season. I wanted to play softball all the time.

Did you play ASA?
I played for a local ASA team called the Roanoke Scrappers. Then, during my senior year, I drove three and a half hours to play for the Virginia Shamrocks, an ASA Gold Team because I wanted the national exposure.

Where did you play high school softball?
I transferred to James River High School during my sophomore year after my family and I moved.

Did you dominate as a pitcher during high school?
I wouldn’t say I dominated all the time. But, I did pitch games where I struck out every batter I faced. We won states my junior and senior year.

Who was your pitching coach?
My dad. When I started playing Little League, my dad taught himself pitching mechanics with books and videos, so he could teach me. At that time, there weren’t any clinics or coaches in the area. We learned together and tried all sorts of stuff, deciding what worked and didn’t work along the way.

How did you end up at Virginia Tech?
I wasn’t recruited very heavily out of high school. Since my high school was small, schools weren’t sure if the competition was strong enough. Virginia Tech is about an hour and a half away from where I live. Virginia Tech showed interest in me. It was the only visit I took and when coach made an offer, I took it.

Want to learn more? Check out this in-depth article about Tincher’s humble, small town beginnings here. 

Next Tuesday: Part 2: Angela Tincher: The Pitcher – Angela shares pitching tips and what it was like to tryout for the Olympics.