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Fundamentally, Women's Clinic Is a Huge Success
When 27 women players from the MMSL gathered with two instructors, three coaches and da Commish Saturday morning at Capitalview/Homewood, the only thing assured was everyone would leave with some seriously achin' muscles.

But the participants of the first MMSL Ladies Softball Clinic gained much, much more.

In what ranks in the top five best things the league has ever done, the clinic proved a rousing success for rookies and veterans alike. "I learned more at Saturday's softball clinic than in seven years of playing ball," said USA Today's Lisa Kiplinger.

"Until I stepped onto that field, no one had ever shown me how to catch a pop-up ball or how to properly align my knuckles along the bat," said Gretchen Gailey of WRC. "I honestly have to say this is one of the best experiences I have ever had with the MMSL."

And that comes from a player whose team won the championship last season.

The clinic was the brainchild of Christina Jamison of NBC News Channel, whose dad remains a youth league girls' coach. Last season, Jamison saw too many fellow women players in the MMSL do poorly, lose confidence and not receive the proper encouragement and instruction from coaches and teammates. The problem is real, and very serious.

"How many people have actually taken the time to show them how to throw and catch a ball? Hold a bat? Where to throw when they have two outs and a runner on second?" Jamison said. "Every woman who came up to me after the clinic said they thought it was just great because now they know what's going on and they didn't feel intimidated to ask questions. It makes it so much more fun for them when they have a clue out on the field." 

Said MMSL newcomer Susan Heavey of the Press Club: "I heard one woman describe how a male teammate griped outloud about an error she made on the field one season. That's the kind of crappy attitude that I think keeps women away from the field or too worried about what others will say."

Wow!

So, the clinic was designed to be a low-pressure, confidence-building learning experience. It succeeded. A basketball coach at Florida State who conducts camps helped draft the clinic itinerary and workstation approach. The stations were: infield defense, outfield defense, batting principles and baserunning.

Each participant was given a nine-page illustrated instructional guide drafted by da Commish. The guide is based off his own work and experience with fundamentals, interviews with major-leaguers over the years, and several softball self-help sources.

Then, the group held a forum for any issues or questions about the league or slow-pitch softball. There were no dumb questions--even though some of the women were shy to ask. The lesson? Don't be afraid to ask. Among the questions:

Can we bunt? (No)

Can we take a lead off a base? (No)

How many fouls do I get? (Two, after getting two strikes).

"I don't know if I would have felt comfortable enough to play for the first time this season had the Ladies Softball Clinic not been offered," said Heather Gundersen of the Associated Press. "As someone who has never been a member of any athletic team, I was truly worried about making a fool of myself and disappointing my team. Having the opportunity to learn the ropes free of pressure to compete, or to impress my teammates, was invaluable to me."

Veteran MMSLer Lisa Dickey, who, along with Jamison, served as roving instructors, led the group in a quick stretching session in which several players immediately offered their own exercise suggestions. From that point, the clinic's all-for-one demeanor took off as the players realized everyone was there to help one another in an easygoing but high-energy workout.

"This will be my first year in the league, and the clinic is what clinched the deal," Heavey said. "I was not looking forward to stumbling in the outfield or fumbling around the infield just so my team could have its three women players. I'm competitive, too, and I want help my team win."

Jamison led all the players to the outfield for a badly needed throwing and catching tutorial. Truth be told, we could still be out there working on these lessons because it was astounding to see and hear that most of the women had never been taught how to properly grip the ball, aim for a target or how to catch a grounder or pop fly.

"I caught a ball in the mouth while learning how to 'protect my face' on fly balls and ended up with a nice fat lip that made me look like I had collagen injections on just one side," said coach Dawn Kopecki of Dow Jones. "It was pretty cool."

The players were then split into the workstations. Discovery Channel coach Mark Burkett and able assistant Laura Ingle worked with the outfielders, Jamison and Dickey took another group to the infield and da Commish directed another group to a batting tee lined up in front of the backstop. This rotation kept the players busy and moving, unlike a normal practice where everyone stands around during batting practice.

"Going through the various stations we worked with great, enthusiastic instructors who gave us an open environment to learn the game without pressure," Gailey said. "This was truly an opportunity to ask questions and make mistakes without the fear of feeling awkward or embarrassed."

At the outfield station, Burkett split the women into two lines, paired them up and spaced them about 15 yards apart. They lofted each other flies to work on glove position for catching the ball. They rolled grounders to each other to work on positioning themselves and staying down on the ball.

"I've not played on a softball team in years," said Patricia McPeak of WUSA, "but even back then I didn't know some of the tips that I learned this weekend. I feel that I have a foundation now to build on to develop some skills."

On the infield, the players were placed into position at second base (actually, they were at shortstop to avoid a muddy spot) and put through drills on movement, glove position and throwing to the first baseman.

"They threw grounders at us--first right to us, then they made us move for them the second time around," said Jessica Rosgaard of CNN. "Once we recovered the ball we had to get it to first base, stressing the idea of knowing what you are going to do with the ball when it comes to you."

Meanwhile, eager batters stepped into da Commish's little world of hitting, which consisted of the area between the plate and the backstop. There, a startling revolution was uncovered: some coaches are doing a very poor job of helping their women players hit. Only four of 27 players had the proper grip on the bat.

The players were then asked to step into the batter's box and get set as if they were in a game. Again, most of the women were in a placement where they could not get full plate coverage with the bat or even be in position for hitting a thrown strike. The Exalted One showed them a simple way to line up their feet and hands in the box and place themselves at the right distance from the plate.

"If I am able to get the ball past the pitcher [my usual spot] this year with my new hitting grip, I will be forever grateful," said Karen Thomas of USA Today.

The players were then allowed to hit a few rounds of balls off the tee into the backstop to work on hand/eye coordination, placement of their hands and elbow, and their stride.

The entire group did a baserunning drill before finishing the day with da Commish's vaunted simulated scrimmage. The players openly wondered what a "simulated" scrimmage would entail, figuring it would be splitting up the players into two teams for a game. But alas, where there's a smile there is a devil, and his name is Commish.

Ten players were placed into position on the field and the others became baserunners. The Commish, with a steady helping hand from coach Cesar Canizales of NBC News Channel, hit balls to the defense. Upon contact, the runner took off as if she had hit the ball.

Neither the baserunner nor the defense (nor da Commish at times) knew where the batted ball was going. So everyone had to react uniquely to each play. If the defense didn't make a play, the baserunners advanced just like in game situations. After a few innings the baserunners were gasping.

"Oh, no! Not running the bases! Anything but that!" joked Laura May of Discovery Channel.

Each side got three outs and a seven-inning simulated "game" was played in just over an hour. Jamison, Dickey and Burkett helped the players on the field between batted balls and da Commish would stop the action to explain where a play should have been made, correct some mistake, or heap praise.

Of all the players who attended and gained from the experience of the clinic, perhaps none benefited more than Rosgaard. She has been a member of CNN's team for several years and played only sparingly--by her choice. She's afraid of the ball and afraid of making mistakes. But by the end of the day, she was the poster child of the clinic. She was playing shortstop, making plays, and hitting the ball sharply off the tee.

"The simulated scrimmage was the best part," she said. "It was an opportunity to try out a position I wouldn't have otherwise tried--and go figure, I loved it! I think it was helpful to everyone to dissect the plays both before and after they happened--making everyone think, before the batter hits the ball: 'WHERE IS THE PLAY? What will I do with the ball when it comes to me?' And then quickly analyzing afterwards what worked and what didn't."

What did work was the immense confidence and camaraderie the clinic brought.

"When I think back on the experience I had at the women's clinic, one word comes to mind: tremendous," Gailey said. "When I first decided to attend the clinic, I thought maybe I'd pick up a few pointers on how to hit the ball a little farther or maybe improve my throw, but I was wrong. I came away with so much more."

"I think these women will now hold their heads higher out on the field," Jamison added. "When one woman who was afraid of the ball said she was now excited to play, I feel like the objective of the clinic was accomplished." v