July 20, 2001 marked the start of a new era for Softball Magazine as we presented Totally Fastpitch Bat Wars 2001 at the ISA Youth World Series at beautiful Hobgood Park in Woodstock, Georgia in conjunction with the Cherokee Recreation and Parks Authority. 

Keith Hammond, Betsy Allgood, Kim Whitaker and Renee Roenner of Cherokee Recreation made our jobs easy.  Danny, the Grounds Manager of Hobgood Park turned out to be “The Man” all week long as Softball Magazine event staff set up and the entire team in Hobgood just couldn’t do enough for us and we thank them.

Bob Grey and John Clarson of the Bat Wars Posse set out early from Florida in “The Big Truck” on Monday morning before the event and their work during the week made life easy as the remainder of the Posse showed up during the day on Wednesday.  On Thursday, the Posse completed the six batting cages, calibrated the Jugs pitching machines and finalized the field for the event on Friday morning. “This gets easier every time!” Posse Top Gun and Six Time Bat Wars Management Veteran Doug Mays was heard to say on Thursday as around three o’clock pm, the inaugural Totally Fastpitch Bat Wars field was dressed up and ready to rock and roll on the following morning.

The idea behind Totally Fastpitch Bat Wars was to gear the event toward the youth fastpitch player.  All other fastpitch Bat Wars had been held in conjunction with the slowpitch Bat Wars events and slowpitch tournaments.  We knew that if we could make it fun for the girls on the teams that were attending the world series that the parents and coaches would be easy to convince!  The entire Posse was very excited about Totally Fastpitch Bat Wars when the idea first came about last year and the event was carefully tweaked here and there to make sure that the youth and the parents and coaches that attended could be comfortable at the event and have a good time.

The sky remained overcast on the morning of the event and severe weather was forecast, but the loyal and fearless Bat Wars Posse were undaunted by any mere weather condition of nature to delay the start of Totally Fastpitch Bat Wars 2001!  “We ain’t nuthin’ but business, ya’ll, from nine to five!” rang true for the sixth time in five years as the Posse opened the field at 9:00am and even Posse Rookies that came along for their first experience lost the jitters, caught the bug and were grinning as the first teams of youth fastpitch players began arriving and filling the registration tent and the corral. Scott Pinner, the Voice of Bat Wars, fired up the sound system and got the blood pumping with his music and softball jargon to which the young ladies attending the event were very receptive.

This year at Totally Fastpitch Bat Wars we had something that was so different for us that the Posse got completely spoiled.  We later discussed various ways in which we could kidnap the entire Cherokee Senior Softball Association and transport them to every single Bat Wars that will ever be held!  The players in this league, led by Tony Biggicia, Len Chrosniak and Pat Hill were phenomenal as they showed up in waves as volunteer shaggers all day long.  Even when the downpour that occurred later in the day was blasting us with wind and rain, they still showed up for their allotted times! Thank you to the Cherokee Senior Softball Association - their motto “You don’t stop playing because you get old, you get old because you stop playing,” is evident in their enthusiasm, dedication to staying healthy and their fabulous attitudes. We saw several of you in there swinging fastpitch style and having a great time!

Also, thanks to Rawlings, who supplied the batting helmets and to the Jugs Company for the fantastic sponsorship in the form of six new pitching machines which for the fourth Bat Wars in a row insured a smooth event with consistent pitching. Eastbay, the Official Catalog Company of Totally Fastpitch Bat Wars 2001, 2001 Operation World Wide Bat Wars and the National Championship Tournament Series continues to be a fantastic partner and has shown huge dedication in promoting the growth of the sport of softball.  Scott Edgerton of Eastbay has been involved with the Bat Wars events since Hurricane Bat Wars of 1999 and he has become a familiar figure as he discusses with players their game and the products that they use.  At Totally Fastpitch Bat Wars, the youth responded to him as sincerely and seriously as the adults at the slow pitch events in the past have. We hear that he has a birthday coming up soon.

As always, we ask that you support those companies and manufacturers who support the growth and well-being of your sport. Along with the Eastbay/Venator Team Sales As always, we ask that you support those companies and manufacturers who support the growth and well-being of your sport. Along with the Eastbay/Venator Team Sales commitment by supporting Totally Fastpitch Bat Wars 2001, we thank Miken Softball, Did You Sports/Cole Sales, Easton Sports, Worth Softball/Baseball, Louisville Slugger, Liflong Products, Club K and Competitive Advantage, all who made the trip.

There were a lot of really cool things that happened at Totally Fastpitch Bat Wars 2001.  I got to meet Cheri Kempf of Club K personally for the very first time. Cheri is one of the hardest working persons in the sport of fastpitch softball and because of her dedication and hard work, all aspects of the sport will grow and flourish. Her passion for her work for and in softball is evident and her business sense is sharp as a tack, as she has successfully invented, marketed and patented several instructional and training devices along with running and instructing in the largest training center for youth in the sport of fastpitch dedicated exclusively to female athletes in the country. She also travels and speaks on the sport and on top of all that she wrote a book in the past year.

I also got to meet Jamie Foutch and Patti Benedict, WPSL All Stars who traveled to Georgia with Pete Griffith and Mike Rommes of Miken Softball!  Scott Pinner interviewed both of these fastpitch stars and both Jamie and Patti were awesome in the crowds and the girls went nuts meeting them. There was even a “home run contest” of sorts - that I never did quite grasp - that Jamie, Patti and Posse members Brittnay Bailey and Michelle “Wakey” Wakeman had going on.  All I know is that Jamie told me that young Brittnay, (who is also a three year Posse veteran along with Dad Steve), won the home run contest for them.  What is up with that, Wakey?!

While that excitement was happening at the Totally Fastpitch Bat Wars event, Easton Sports was allowing all of the Bat Wars participants to dunk Sheila Douty, Jennifer Brundage and Terri Clement-Goldberg in a tank of water.  That’s right, you heard me.  That is what I call being not just good at your sport, but being a good sport. When the athletes were not being dunked, they were ducking wild throws or signing autographs. We never did see Pam Newton of Easton Sports up on the dunking paddle, though - must be a finer perk of management! Scott Pinner interviewed all four of these women regarding the Olympics and the sport and then the Olympians gave a brief hitting demonstration before returning to Chicago as did the WPSL stars. All of the celebrities were a huge hit with the youths and the parents and coaches and we would like to extend a special thanks to all of them and to Easton Sports and Miken Softball for making the day extra special for so many of the participants at Totally Fastpitch Bat Wars 2001.

The best part of Totally Fastpitch Bat Wars were the young athletes that came down to check it out and participate. Many of them weren’t sure what to expect at first.  One athlete at registration made me “swear” that it was free.  She asked me at least six times: “Are you SURE that I don’t have to buy anything? Because if I have to buy something at the end - my Mom will just KILL me!” The set up for the event allowed the parents and coaches to spectate directly behind the hitting stations without actually entering the test area. Many coaches and Moms and Dads were yelling “Make sure to pick up that other bat, too! Swing both weights!” or “I don’t care if it’s pretty, how does it feel?!” how about “What do you mean you like THAT one better than the one I just bought you?!”

The parents and coaches became so completely receptive and appreciative that when the lightning came at 2:30pm to force the close of the event the participant number loomed at over five hundred, with many of the participants going through the line more than three times. It was a treat to see these travel teams, parents and coaches in action. It is such a combination of dedication, hard work and flat out love of the sport and of the kids and we all really enjoyed our time exclusively with the fastpitch youth crowd. I told one Mom who stumbled up to registration loaded down with equipment and other necessities as I added a stack of Softball Magazine, Eastbay and Bat Wars materials to her pile that soccer Moms are ninnies and drive fancy SUV’s and you can tell a fastpitch softball Mom ‘cause she’s cranking up a Frieghtliner in the parking lot while she is cooking breakfast in the sleeper for the team and has a set of muscles that Arnold would envy and she started laughing so hard she ended up dropping everything.

It was Easton Sports topping the charts at Totally Fastpitch Bat Wars 2001 with the Triple 7 in the hot spot followed very closely by Louisville Sluggers Platinum, the Miken Intensit.E and the Worth 3DX.