University of Minnesota Athletics
Winter Ball; Minnesota Softball in the Dead of Winter
3/6/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
A few seats down from me in the press box, the Arizona softball sports information staffer pulls the hood of her sweatshirt tight over her head and keeps stats on her computer, wearing winter gloves. "Do you see a scarf over there?" she asks her cohort. I wish I were making this up.
It's downright comical. Meanwhile, I, Minnesota's softball contact, don shorts and a long-sleeve t-shirt. No gloves. No wool hat. I'd wear short sleeves, but for the fear of blinding the locals with the Minnesota winter tan (or lack thereof).
Back home in the Twin Cities, we wear less on a 30-degree February day than these Wildcat fans do here tonight. In Tucson, it's in the mid-60s and I think I've just seen the most absurd display of `hypersensitivity to mild temperatures' in my entire life. A few rows in front of me, in the grandstand, an Arizona fan sits in a winter jacket, with polar fleece gloves on his hands, a wool hat on his head and a blanket over his legs. There's only a light breeze. Thankfully, the Wildcat team is heating up on the field. Otherwise, countless cases of frostbite are sure to set in.
Out in the batting cages, Minnesota co-head coaches Lisa Bernstein and Julie Standering watch the Arizona vs. Florida International game in shorts and t-shirts. The Arizona head coach, Mike Candrea, on the other hand, is on the field, ensconced in a full UA warm-up suit, looking toasty. The funny thing is, Bernstein and Standering used to play at the University of Arizona. Their former coach must think they're nuts. "Shorts?!?" he must ask. "Are you kidding me? It's 60 degrees."
It's a different world when it comes to playing conditions down here. On the first day of the 2003 Pepsi Arizona Classic, the powers-that-be wanted to call off all the games on account of light rain. Not downpours, mind you, no. Light rain. The Florida International and Arizona coaches thought it was a good plan, but the staffs from rain-happy Washington and snow-happy Minnesota and Northwestern refused to call it a day. "We play in weather much, MUCH worse than this," Bernstein said.
Tonight, the sky is clear, and the stands are getting clearer as the time nears 7 p.m. Arizona plays the Golden Gophers in the next game, but apparently if the temperature drops precipitously to the dreaded 60- degree mark, it's too much to ask for fans to stay outside in these conditions.
Ok, it's dropped to a new low. An elderly woman directly in front of me just jokingly asked if I had any foot warmers.
"He's from Minnesota. This is warm to him," her husband interjects.
"That's true," I reply. "This is beautiful weather. I was just in shorts a couple of minutes ago." (I had slipped on the wind pants.for fashion purposes only.)
"Well, this is cold to us," she says. "But, we're glad YOU'RE enjoying it."
We are enjoying it. Despite the unseasonable temperatures, several Golden Gophers took a dip last night in a chilly pool at Bernstein's brother's house. We've been driving around the city in our vans as four of only a handful of vehicles with the windows down. We're getting sunburns and we're loving it. Assistant coach Jenn Stokes is sporting a rather uneven tan, a result of taking a nap outside with the sun shining from the west and Stokes only facing south. Sure, the right side of her face is a bit redder than her left, but who cares? It's February and she's getting sun the natural way.outside.
First baseman Hailee Nanchy has fallen victim to her refusal to wear a visor on the field. The fair-skinned Nanchy is fashioning a nicely-burned forehead and face. "It's no big deal," she says. "I burn and the next day I'm back to being white. No tanning here."
What an unfortunate skin condition. Where's the incentive to come to such warm locations?
Freshman Stefanie Watt has quickly learned what it's like to spend the first half of winter up north before spending time on the road in sunny locales. On the plane ride home, fellow freshman Melissa Murnane points out Watt's distinct hat tan. There's a clean tan line running in a nice arc across her face. She reveals the line, some teammates chuckle, and the visor goes right back on. "I'll be wearing a visor to class all week," Watt says.
Even the team manager Lisa Hardy has been victimized by exposure to sun months ahead of usual. In one of the most blatant statements of the obvious, a young fan in Arizona told her, "Your legs are really white."
The mass exodus from Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium has begun. The Wildcats have just finished their first game of the night and the crowd is streaming out of the gates to cars that are sure to be blasting the heat full-bore. Some hardy souls brave the dangerous temperatures to watch Arizona post a 6-0 no-hitter on the Golden Gophers. For some reason, the thermometer reading isn't affecting the home team on the field.
Sunday, February 16 - I begin our final day in Arizona clad in shorts and a golf shirt. The weather today is ideal - sunny in the low 70s. At the ballpark, there's more work to be done on our tans before and during the game. In what must make me look as absurd as the Arizona fans bundling up in 60-degree weather, I remove my visor in an effort to get more color on my face, ignoring the fact that I'm squinting so much a headache is setting in. During our final game, I find myself stepping outside the press box every chance I get, just to face the sun as it moves across the field. The UA staff must think I'm nuts.
The game on the field is nutty, too, appropriately enough. The Golden Gophers and sixth-ranked Washington play to a 1-1 tie after seven innings. We go to the extra frame with the international tiebreaker rule in effect. The Huskies promptly explode for four runs to take a seemingly insurmountable 5-1 lead in the eighth inning. Minnesota, in an apparent effort to allow me to continue working on my tan (am I that pale?), scores four runs of its own to tie the game at five. The teams play a scoreless ninth inning and agree to call it a game on account of planes that are going to leave without us.
So, we scurry away from the UA campus, not yet realizing we're going home to snow, ice, wind chill and the like. At the airport, the depressing reality of our final destination sets in. We're going back home to the Twin Cities where's it's a balmy 20 degrees with light snow. The wind pants come on.
"You guys aren't from around here, are you?" the attendant at the ticket counter asks ridiculously.
"What gave it away?" senior Allie Fisk replies. "Our fresh sunburns?"
The walk to the plane resembles the Bataan Death March. Reality has set in. Thoughtfully, however, our travel coordinator has provided us with a progression of downward temperatures on our trip. We stop in Denver and exit the plane directly onto the tarmac outside. It's cooler than Tucson - maybe in the 50s. It seems we're getting the chance to become acclimated to the coming colder temps.
As we make our way to our gate in the Denver airport, some self- appointed comic notices the team's jackets and bags, emblazoned with `Minnesota Softball.' He quips, "Minnesota softball?!? You should be the ice hockey team."
A few players give a courtesy laugh or the polite smile and nod. Ahh, Minnesota Nice.
As the plane touches down in Minneapolis, the jackets come on. We're home and it's cold - truly cold, not Arizona cold.
All this begs the question: How does Minnesota, a team that does not experience `softball weather' at its home venue until late in the season, compete with programs that reside year-round in a climate fully conducive to playing ball outside on their own fields? How can Minnesota, and other northern schools for that matter, stay competitive against the likes of Arizona, UCLA, Texas and other southern and western schools that have the luxury of decent playing weather all year?
Minnesota doesn't play a game at its sparkling Jane Sage Cowles Stadium until April 8, an incredible 32+ games into the 2003 season. Meanwhile, Cal State-Fullerton begins its home season on February 28 and plays 12+ games at the Titan Softball Complex before going onto the road again on March 22.
And yet, the Golden Gophers hold their own against programs like CS-Fullerton. In fact, Minnesota holds a winning record all-time against schools such as Pacific, Oklahoma, Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee, San Jose State and South Florida - all teams that can play and practice outside in February.
Minnesota, meanwhile, hasn't even thought of practicing on its home turf. The Maroon and Gold is taking batting practice and doing baserunning drills in the Football Practice Facility or the U of M Fieldhouse.
And yet, the Golden Gophers compete with the nation's most-tanned teams.
Some facts to consider as proof - six appearances in the NCAA Tournament in 28 years of the program's existence, 11 All-Americans, four alumni who have made appearances in the Women's Professional Softball League, a current No. 24 national ranking (third among Big Ten schools and ahead of such teams as Pacific, Fresno State, Florida, Georgia Tech, Hawaii) and many other accolades that prove that the Golden Gophers can hold their own against the elite in the college softball world.
How does Minnesota do it?
"I don't think it's much of a disadvantage not playing at home until April," senior second baseman Shelly Nichols, a native of Austin, Texas, said. "At the early-season tournaments, the fan base isn't all that large, so it's not a big deal playing on the road. True, we don't get to play on our home field until later in the season, but I think we may do things better than other teams because of where we practice when it's cold outside. Our attention to detail is different than the schools from warmer places."
"We can deal with anything. The football team doesn't practice outside all the time because of the weather. It's not any different for us," sophomore outfielder and Maplewood, Minn., native Stephanie Sward said. "Sure, it's harder to practice in the fieldhouse with the lack of space, but I think we can turn that disadvantage into an advantage. We get different bounces than we do on dirt and I think that helps. There's more challenges playing inside than outside."
"We take the disadvantages of the weather and playing inside and turn them into positives," senior pitcher Angie Recknor, a Minnetonka, Minn., native, said. "We have great athletes, coaches and facilities, indoor and outside. With all the drills we do in the fieldhouse, we become more fine-tuned than teams that play outside all year."
The coaching staff would be proud of their players' analyses. In fact, they're in agreement.
"Our attention to detail may set us apart from southern and western teams," Bernstein said. "Practicing in a controlled environment like the fieldhouse, we spend a lot of time working on angles whereas other schools may not focus on such things. We really practice the fundamentals - sliding, baserunning, throwing, fielding."
Freshman Valerie Alston, a Canyon Lake, Calif., native, has figured it out already.
"It's the little things we do that keep us competitive with the `warmer schools.' They practice on dirt and we're on a rubber field, but it's not that big of a difference. It's just a different setting. We have a bigger focus on the fundamentals. We focus on the little things while the West Coast schools rely on hits and home runs."
For the University of Minnesota softball team, it's all about turning a negative into a positive. While the Arizona Wildcats are practicing in sunshine and on dirt and green grass, the Golden Gophers are either inside the fieldhouse or getting outside to the practice field at the earliest possible time. Minnesota will play in temperatures just above freezing and in weather that would make an Arizona fan run for the nearest parka outlet store.
"In my opinion, when it's cold outside, the warm-weather schools are at a disadvantage," Sward said. "Anybody can play when it's warm and sunny. They're not used to playing in bad weather. Playing in Minnesota toughens you up. We play in the worst circumstances possible - snow, rain, whatever. I think we can take advantage of the bad weather."
Another theory is that schools like Minnesota come together as a team more so than schools from warmer locales. The argument is that the Golden Gophers can compete with the traditional powerhouses because, as the old saying goes, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Alston, wise beyond her years, explained, "We seem to be closer as a team than some of the schools from the south and west. I think we are really strong at the personal aspect of the game. We're in an enclosed environment for so much time, we become a closer team being around each other in that setting. Watching teams from the Pac-10, they seem kind of sloppy sometimes. Because they have so many superstars, it doesn't seem they coach the players on the fundamentals like we do. At Minnesota, we're more of a team. We still have good talent, but our practices are structured around the team."
Ok, that's believable, but a question remains. Why would players from Texas and California come to play for Minnesota? For the majority of the out-of-state Golden Gophers, the weather was not a factor in deciding where to go to school and play ball. The decision wasn't about the subzero temperatures during the softball season. For the players that travel north to Minnesota, it's about the school, the coaches, the team, the teammates, the academics, the Twin Cities.
"I came to Minnesota mostly because it was a good opportunity to live somewhere else," Nichols said. "Four years is a good time to try something new. Plus, I loved the people here and the coaches. Having a former All-American shortstop as a coach [Standering] that I could learn from was huge. Being a shortstop in high school, that was a big thing for me."
"I really liked the atmosphere," Alston added. "It was a good fit for me. The girls on the team are a lot like me, personality-wise. I also couldn't ask for a better coaching staff. They're very passionate about the game. The school is beautiful and I know I'll get a great education at the `U.'"
The Golden Gopher softball program does its fair share of recruiting in the warm-weather states, but the Maroon and Gold has a healthy representation of players from the home state. This season, nine of UM's 18 players hail from Minnesota. It goes to show that Gold Country can compete with the Sun Belt, both as a team and individually.
For the home-state players, it took an extra level of dedication and a little ingenuity to attain the status of Division I softball student-athlete. Whereas players from California, Texas and New Mexico were playing the game virtually year-round, the nine Minnesota natives (and one Wisconsin native, Stefanie Watt, for that matter) were putting countless hours inside local gyms and community centers. For some, playing different sports groomed their all-around athletic talent. For example, senior Allie Fisk, an Orono, Minn., native grew up playing hockey in the winter. It's that multipurpose background that has served Minnesota players well.
"Minnesota kids are used to playing three or more different sports," Sward said. "I think that helps in developing naturally good athletes who aren't one-dimensional. In Minnesota, you need be have a sense of dedication to improve. We have less time in each of the sports, but we know we need to work harder and use the time wisely. Playing different sports, you don't see the burn out that you do when kids focus on one sport."
"I spent a lot of time in gyms during the winter," Recknor said. "Playing indoors, you just have to work harder. We'd be inside for four hours versus being outside for two. You have to be willing to put in the hours to be as good as the players from warm-weather schools."
"If you really wanted to continue playing softball, you had to devote the time to playing indoors during the offseason," junior catcher Andrea Smith, a Golden Valley, Minn., native added. "During the winter in junior high and high school, we played in a gym at Eisenhower Elementary School and Community Center. Hopkins Sports ran what we called `Sunday Gym.' From October through February, there were no organized leagues, but we could play in the gym. It really helped us keep sharp when we couldn't play outside."
For the Minnesota softball program and its coaches, it doesn't matter all that much how the players achieved their talent and expertise on the softball field. Whether they played outdoors year-round, spent hours upon hours in a gym or played other sports like hockey or basketball, they're all different ways of getting to the same point.
"I think Minnesota is an easy product to sell," Standering said. "The team sells it. We've got great student-athletes, academics and facilities - a nice overall package. I don't think we, as coaches, need to work on selling the University of Minnesota. Kids that come to Minnesota really want to be here."
Therein may lay the answer as to how the Golden Gophers can compete with the southern and western schools. Perhaps, Minnesota possesses a luxury some schools may not enjoy - passionate players. Players who take pride in the Maroon and Gold. Players who come to Gold Country because they believe in the concept of a team. Players who don't wear parkas and wool hats when it's 60 degrees.
Sunday, March 2 - We're on our way home after another trip to a warm location. This weekend, it was Fullerton, Calif., for the 2003 Worth Invitational. The weather cooperated despite ominous forecasts for rain. We successfully worked on our tans again. Hailee Nanchy's forehead is pink. (She assures us it will be back to white in the morning.) Stefanie Watt learned from the Arizona trip and does not fashion the hat tan. Lisa Hardy's legs are still white, but the young California fans didn't notice this weekend. I'm just bitter that this is my last trip to a warm location this season with the softball team. The scheduling gods saw fit to ensure that I'd miss trips to San Jose, Corpus Christi and San Antonio on account of postseason wrestling tournaments that I must cover. Where are those tournaments? Madison, Wisconsin and Kansas City, Missouri. Great.
Meanwhile, Nichols is waxing nostalgic about trips to sun-splashed softball fields. "For me, I really enjoy going on the early-season trips because I get to feel like a kid again. When we're outside at warm places like Arizona and California, I remember growing up in Texas, playing outside, sweating, getting dirt all over and having my mom come out with an ice rag to cool me off because of the heat. I think, going from the winter in Minnesota to the warm cities, I appreciate the trips more. The other schools may take the traveling for granted, but we savor the trips."
Savor the trip, we did. In addition to the continual quest for the perfect tan in March, the Golden Gophers earned some respect on the softball field. Minnesota proved it could hang with the best of the best, going 2-3 at the Worth Invite with an exceptional win over the seventh-ranked team in the nation, Cal State Fullerton.
The final day in Fullerton was disappointing. Minnesota lost to sixth- ranked California and the weather was spectacular. Why do we always get the best weather on the day we're traveling home? Is it somebody's master plan to rub it in that we're going home to forecasted snow showers?
Regardless, we soak in every moment possible outside in the warmth. Our forearms and noses may be a little red and tender, but it's worth it to be able to smugly show off to coworkers and peers back at home.
As we settle in for the flight to the Twin Cities, reality once again sets in, thanks to the captain of this Northwest Airlines flight.
"The temperature in Minneapolis is about [dramatic pause] minus three degrees," he announces. "Thank you and enjoy your flight."
Sigh.
"Do you see a scarf over there?" someone asks.
Written by Assistant Media Relations Director Kevin Kurtt. (Kevin welcomes comments at kurtt003@umn.edu) Saturday, February 15 - There is perhaps nothing more amusing than seeing an Arizona softball fan sitting outdoors on a Saturday evening in Tucson, bundled up in winter clothes when it's, according to the Weather Channel, 65 degrees with clear skies. To a native Minnesotan, and to the majority of the Golden Gopher softball program, the Wildcat faithful in the stands haven't the slightest clue of the meaning of the word `cold.'
A few seats down from me in the press box, the Arizona softball sports information staffer pulls the hood of her sweatshirt tight over her head and keeps stats on her computer, wearing winter gloves. "Do you see a scarf over there?" she asks her cohort. I wish I were making this up.
It's downright comical. Meanwhile, I, Minnesota's softball contact, don shorts and a long-sleeve t-shirt. No gloves. No wool hat. I'd wear short sleeves, but for the fear of blinding the locals with the Minnesota winter tan (or lack thereof).
Back home in the Twin Cities, we wear less on a 30-degree February day than these Wildcat fans do here tonight. In Tucson, it's in the mid-60s and I think I've just seen the most absurd display of `hypersensitivity to mild temperatures' in my entire life. A few rows in front of me, in the grandstand, an Arizona fan sits in a winter jacket, with polar fleece gloves on his hands, a wool hat on his head and a blanket over his legs. There's only a light breeze. Thankfully, the Wildcat team is heating up on the field. Otherwise, countless cases of frostbite are sure to set in.
Out in the batting cages, Minnesota co-head coaches Lisa Bernstein and Julie Standering watch the Arizona vs. Florida International game in shorts and t-shirts. The Arizona head coach, Mike Candrea, on the other hand, is on the field, ensconced in a full UA warm-up suit, looking toasty. The funny thing is, Bernstein and Standering used to play at the University of Arizona. Their former coach must think they're nuts. "Shorts?!?" he must ask. "Are you kidding me? It's 60 degrees."
It's a different world when it comes to playing conditions down here. On the first day of the 2003 Pepsi Arizona Classic, the powers-that-be wanted to call off all the games on account of light rain. Not downpours, mind you, no. Light rain. The Florida International and Arizona coaches thought it was a good plan, but the staffs from rain-happy Washington and snow-happy Minnesota and Northwestern refused to call it a day. "We play in weather much, MUCH worse than this," Bernstein said.
Tonight, the sky is clear, and the stands are getting clearer as the time nears 7 p.m. Arizona plays the Golden Gophers in the next game, but apparently if the temperature drops precipitously to the dreaded 60- degree mark, it's too much to ask for fans to stay outside in these conditions.
Ok, it's dropped to a new low. An elderly woman directly in front of me just jokingly asked if I had any foot warmers.
"He's from Minnesota. This is warm to him," her husband interjects.
"That's true," I reply. "This is beautiful weather. I was just in shorts a couple of minutes ago." (I had slipped on the wind pants.for fashion purposes only.)
"Well, this is cold to us," she says. "But, we're glad YOU'RE enjoying it."
We are enjoying it. Despite the unseasonable temperatures, several Golden Gophers took a dip last night in a chilly pool at Bernstein's brother's house. We've been driving around the city in our vans as four of only a handful of vehicles with the windows down. We're getting sunburns and we're loving it. Assistant coach Jenn Stokes is sporting a rather uneven tan, a result of taking a nap outside with the sun shining from the west and Stokes only facing south. Sure, the right side of her face is a bit redder than her left, but who cares? It's February and she's getting sun the natural way.outside.
First baseman Hailee Nanchy has fallen victim to her refusal to wear a visor on the field. The fair-skinned Nanchy is fashioning a nicely-burned forehead and face. "It's no big deal," she says. "I burn and the next day I'm back to being white. No tanning here."
What an unfortunate skin condition. Where's the incentive to come to such warm locations?
Freshman Stefanie Watt has quickly learned what it's like to spend the first half of winter up north before spending time on the road in sunny locales. On the plane ride home, fellow freshman Melissa Murnane points out Watt's distinct hat tan. There's a clean tan line running in a nice arc across her face. She reveals the line, some teammates chuckle, and the visor goes right back on. "I'll be wearing a visor to class all week," Watt says.
Even the team manager Lisa Hardy has been victimized by exposure to sun months ahead of usual. In one of the most blatant statements of the obvious, a young fan in Arizona told her, "Your legs are really white."
The mass exodus from Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium has begun. The Wildcats have just finished their first game of the night and the crowd is streaming out of the gates to cars that are sure to be blasting the heat full-bore. Some hardy souls brave the dangerous temperatures to watch Arizona post a 6-0 no-hitter on the Golden Gophers. For some reason, the thermometer reading isn't affecting the home team on the field.
Sunday, February 16 - I begin our final day in Arizona clad in shorts and a golf shirt. The weather today is ideal - sunny in the low 70s. At the ballpark, there's more work to be done on our tans before and during the game. In what must make me look as absurd as the Arizona fans bundling up in 60-degree weather, I remove my visor in an effort to get more color on my face, ignoring the fact that I'm squinting so much a headache is setting in. During our final game, I find myself stepping outside the press box every chance I get, just to face the sun as it moves across the field. The UA staff must think I'm nuts.
The game on the field is nutty, too, appropriately enough. The Golden Gophers and sixth-ranked Washington play to a 1-1 tie after seven innings. We go to the extra frame with the international tiebreaker rule in effect. The Huskies promptly explode for four runs to take a seemingly insurmountable 5-1 lead in the eighth inning. Minnesota, in an apparent effort to allow me to continue working on my tan (am I that pale?), scores four runs of its own to tie the game at five. The teams play a scoreless ninth inning and agree to call it a game on account of planes that are going to leave without us.
So, we scurry away from the UA campus, not yet realizing we're going home to snow, ice, wind chill and the like. At the airport, the depressing reality of our final destination sets in. We're going back home to the Twin Cities where's it's a balmy 20 degrees with light snow. The wind pants come on.
"You guys aren't from around here, are you?" the attendant at the ticket counter asks ridiculously.
"What gave it away?" senior Allie Fisk replies. "Our fresh sunburns?"
The walk to the plane resembles the Bataan Death March. Reality has set in. Thoughtfully, however, our travel coordinator has provided us with a progression of downward temperatures on our trip. We stop in Denver and exit the plane directly onto the tarmac outside. It's cooler than Tucson - maybe in the 50s. It seems we're getting the chance to become acclimated to the coming colder temps.
As we make our way to our gate in the Denver airport, some self- appointed comic notices the team's jackets and bags, emblazoned with `Minnesota Softball.' He quips, "Minnesota softball?!? You should be the ice hockey team."
A few players give a courtesy laugh or the polite smile and nod. Ahh, Minnesota Nice.
As the plane touches down in Minneapolis, the jackets come on. We're home and it's cold - truly cold, not Arizona cold.
All this begs the question: How does Minnesota, a team that does not experience `softball weather' at its home venue until late in the season, compete with programs that reside year-round in a climate fully conducive to playing ball outside on their own fields? How can Minnesota, and other northern schools for that matter, stay competitive against the likes of Arizona, UCLA, Texas and other southern and western schools that have the luxury of decent playing weather all year?
Minnesota doesn't play a game at its sparkling Jane Sage Cowles Stadium until April 8, an incredible 32+ games into the 2003 season. Meanwhile, Cal State-Fullerton begins its home season on February 28 and plays 12+ games at the Titan Softball Complex before going onto the road again on March 22.
And yet, the Golden Gophers hold their own against programs like CS-Fullerton. In fact, Minnesota holds a winning record all-time against schools such as Pacific, Oklahoma, Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee, San Jose State and South Florida - all teams that can play and practice outside in February.
Minnesota, meanwhile, hasn't even thought of practicing on its home turf. The Maroon and Gold is taking batting practice and doing baserunning drills in the Football Practice Facility or the U of M Fieldhouse.
And yet, the Golden Gophers compete with the nation's most-tanned teams.
Some facts to consider as proof - six appearances in the NCAA Tournament in 28 years of the program's existence, 11 All-Americans, four alumni who have made appearances in the Women's Professional Softball League, a current No. 24 national ranking (third among Big Ten schools and ahead of such teams as Pacific, Fresno State, Florida, Georgia Tech, Hawaii) and many other accolades that prove that the Golden Gophers can hold their own against the elite in the college softball world.
How does Minnesota do it?
"I don't think it's much of a disadvantage not playing at home until April," senior second baseman Shelly Nichols, a native of Austin, Texas, said. "At the early-season tournaments, the fan base isn't all that large, so it's not a big deal playing on the road. True, we don't get to play on our home field until later in the season, but I think we may do things better than other teams because of where we practice when it's cold outside. Our attention to detail is different than the schools from warmer places."
"We can deal with anything. The football team doesn't practice outside all the time because of the weather. It's not any different for us," sophomore outfielder and Maplewood, Minn., native Stephanie Sward said. "Sure, it's harder to practice in the fieldhouse with the lack of space, but I think we can turn that disadvantage into an advantage. We get different bounces than we do on dirt and I think that helps. There's more challenges playing inside than outside."
"We take the disadvantages of the weather and playing inside and turn them into positives," senior pitcher Angie Recknor, a Minnetonka, Minn., native, said. "We have great athletes, coaches and facilities, indoor and outside. With all the drills we do in the fieldhouse, we become more fine-tuned than teams that play outside all year."
The coaching staff would be proud of their players' analyses. In fact, they're in agreement.
"Our attention to detail may set us apart from southern and western teams," Bernstein said. "Practicing in a controlled environment like the fieldhouse, we spend a lot of time working on angles whereas other schools may not focus on such things. We really practice the fundamentals - sliding, baserunning, throwing, fielding."
Freshman Valerie Alston, a Canyon Lake, Calif., native, has figured it out already.
"It's the little things we do that keep us competitive with the `warmer schools.' They practice on dirt and we're on a rubber field, but it's not that big of a difference. It's just a different setting. We have a bigger focus on the fundamentals. We focus on the little things while the West Coast schools rely on hits and home runs."
For the University of Minnesota softball team, it's all about turning a negative into a positive. While the Arizona Wildcats are practicing in sunshine and on dirt and green grass, the Golden Gophers are either inside the fieldhouse or getting outside to the practice field at the earliest possible time. Minnesota will play in temperatures just above freezing and in weather that would make an Arizona fan run for the nearest parka outlet store.
"In my opinion, when it's cold outside, the warm-weather schools are at a disadvantage," Sward said. "Anybody can play when it's warm and sunny. They're not used to playing in bad weather. Playing in Minnesota toughens you up. We play in the worst circumstances possible - snow, rain, whatever. I think we can take advantage of the bad weather."
Another theory is that schools like Minnesota come together as a team more so than schools from warmer locales. The argument is that the Golden Gophers can compete with the traditional powerhouses because, as the old saying goes, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Alston, wise beyond her years, explained, "We seem to be closer as a team than some of the schools from the south and west. I think we are really strong at the personal aspect of the game. We're in an enclosed environment for so much time, we become a closer team being around each other in that setting. Watching teams from the Pac-10, they seem kind of sloppy sometimes. Because they have so many superstars, it doesn't seem they coach the players on the fundamentals like we do. At Minnesota, we're more of a team. We still have good talent, but our practices are structured around the team."
Ok, that's believable, but a question remains. Why would players from Texas and California come to play for Minnesota? For the majority of the out-of-state Golden Gophers, the weather was not a factor in deciding where to go to school and play ball. The decision wasn't about the subzero temperatures during the softball season. For the players that travel north to Minnesota, it's about the school, the coaches, the team, the teammates, the academics, the Twin Cities.
"I came to Minnesota mostly because it was a good opportunity to live somewhere else," Nichols said. "Four years is a good time to try something new. Plus, I loved the people here and the coaches. Having a former All-American shortstop as a coach [Standering] that I could learn from was huge. Being a shortstop in high school, that was a big thing for me."
"I really liked the atmosphere," Alston added. "It was a good fit for me. The girls on the team are a lot like me, personality-wise. I also couldn't ask for a better coaching staff. They're very passionate about the game. The school is beautiful and I know I'll get a great education at the `U.'"
The Golden Gopher softball program does its fair share of recruiting in the warm-weather states, but the Maroon and Gold has a healthy representation of players from the home state. This season, nine of UM's 18 players hail from Minnesota. It goes to show that Gold Country can compete with the Sun Belt, both as a team and individually.
For the home-state players, it took an extra level of dedication and a little ingenuity to attain the status of Division I softball student-athlete. Whereas players from California, Texas and New Mexico were playing the game virtually year-round, the nine Minnesota natives (and one Wisconsin native, Stefanie Watt, for that matter) were putting countless hours inside local gyms and community centers. For some, playing different sports groomed their all-around athletic talent. For example, senior Allie Fisk, an Orono, Minn., native grew up playing hockey in the winter. It's that multipurpose background that has served Minnesota players well.
"Minnesota kids are used to playing three or more different sports," Sward said. "I think that helps in developing naturally good athletes who aren't one-dimensional. In Minnesota, you need be have a sense of dedication to improve. We have less time in each of the sports, but we know we need to work harder and use the time wisely. Playing different sports, you don't see the burn out that you do when kids focus on one sport."
"I spent a lot of time in gyms during the winter," Recknor said. "Playing indoors, you just have to work harder. We'd be inside for four hours versus being outside for two. You have to be willing to put in the hours to be as good as the players from warm-weather schools."
"If you really wanted to continue playing softball, you had to devote the time to playing indoors during the offseason," junior catcher Andrea Smith, a Golden Valley, Minn., native added. "During the winter in junior high and high school, we played in a gym at Eisenhower Elementary School and Community Center. Hopkins Sports ran what we called `Sunday Gym.' From October through February, there were no organized leagues, but we could play in the gym. It really helped us keep sharp when we couldn't play outside."
For the Minnesota softball program and its coaches, it doesn't matter all that much how the players achieved their talent and expertise on the softball field. Whether they played outdoors year-round, spent hours upon hours in a gym or played other sports like hockey or basketball, they're all different ways of getting to the same point.
"I think Minnesota is an easy product to sell," Standering said. "The team sells it. We've got great student-athletes, academics and facilities - a nice overall package. I don't think we, as coaches, need to work on selling the University of Minnesota. Kids that come to Minnesota really want to be here."
Therein may lay the answer as to how the Golden Gophers can compete with the southern and western schools. Perhaps, Minnesota possesses a luxury some schools may not enjoy - passionate players. Players who take pride in the Maroon and Gold. Players who come to Gold Country because they believe in the concept of a team. Players who don't wear parkas and wool hats when it's 60 degrees.
Sunday, March 2 - We're on our way home after another trip to a warm location. This weekend, it was Fullerton, Calif., for the 2003 Worth Invitational. The weather cooperated despite ominous forecasts for rain. We successfully worked on our tans again. Hailee Nanchy's forehead is pink. (She assures us it will be back to white in the morning.) Stefanie Watt learned from the Arizona trip and does not fashion the hat tan. Lisa Hardy's legs are still white, but the young California fans didn't notice this weekend. I'm just bitter that this is my last trip to a warm location this season with the softball team. The scheduling gods saw fit to ensure that I'd miss trips to San Jose, Corpus Christi and San Antonio on account of postseason wrestling tournaments that I must cover. Where are those tournaments? Madison, Wisconsin and Kansas City, Missouri. Great.
Meanwhile, Nichols is waxing nostalgic about trips to sun-splashed softball fields. "For me, I really enjoy going on the early-season trips because I get to feel like a kid again. When we're outside at warm places like Arizona and California, I remember growing up in Texas, playing outside, sweating, getting dirt all over and having my mom come out with an ice rag to cool me off because of the heat. I think, going from the winter in Minnesota to the warm cities, I appreciate the trips more. The other schools may take the traveling for granted, but we savor the trips."
Savor the trip, we did. In addition to the continual quest for the perfect tan in March, the Golden Gophers earned some respect on the softball field. Minnesota proved it could hang with the best of the best, going 2-3 at the Worth Invite with an exceptional win over the seventh-ranked team in the nation, Cal State Fullerton.
The final day in Fullerton was disappointing. Minnesota lost to sixth- ranked California and the weather was spectacular. Why do we always get the best weather on the day we're traveling home? Is it somebody's master plan to rub it in that we're going home to forecasted snow showers?
Regardless, we soak in every moment possible outside in the warmth. Our forearms and noses may be a little red and tender, but it's worth it to be able to smugly show off to coworkers and peers back at home.
As we settle in for the flight to the Twin Cities, reality once again sets in, thanks to the captain of this Northwest Airlines flight.
"The temperature in Minneapolis is about [dramatic pause] minus three degrees," he announces. "Thank you and enjoy your flight."
Sigh.
"Do you see a scarf over there?" someone asks.
Written by Assistant Media Relations Director Kevin Kurtt. (Kevin welcomes comments at kurtt003@umn.edu)
