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The University of Utah Athletics
How Important Is Club Ball Experience?
3/14/2003 12:00 AM | Softball
March 14, 2003
By: Paige DeMille, Specialty Reporting Class
The Ute softball coaches have created a team made from a very colorful pallet. Jen Pursell Flash[ed] D'Gold; Masie Ota is RR Gold; Melissa Stahnke traveled the Bluebird Express; Glennis Donnelly stirred up the St. Louis Chaos; Brianna Gourdin and Jenni Thurston dared the Diamondbacks and were straight shots, along with Sarah Lyman, for The Blue Bullets; Ivette Hernandez fought for the USA Athletics; and Jackie Wong ran with the Runnin' Rebels Gold. Each of these colorful and expressive names represents a 'club team.' The majority of Utah's current softball roster has backgrounds in club team experiences.
Richard Poulsen of Salt Lake County's Department of Parks and Recreation, watches over the local Utah club teams. He says club teams start with five-year old children. The teams generally are organized into groups forming age-appropriate teams, i.e. 10- to 12-year-olds, 12- to 14-year-olds, etc.
Not all parents like the assignment process and would rather their child belong to a team of their choosing. Poulsen finds some parents 'scout' other teams looking for players and/or coaches who can offer more experience, knowledge of the game, and opportunities, of which their children can partake. Other parents and coaches 'recruit' players from various clubs to enhance their child's current team, which can eventually lead to "accelerated leagues," leagues purported to better showcase players with more aptitude or ability.
Poulsen calculated that between 90 to 95 percent of female athletes playing high school softball have belonged to club teams prior to entering a high school softball program. He went on to say that these athletes continue to play for club teams during softball's off-season, if at all possible, throughout their higher education years.
Utah is not the only Mountain West Conference team to have lots of club experience. BYU softball's spokesperson Joe Evans reported 100 percent of Cougar recruits played for club teams at some time prior to joining the BYU program. He gave two reasons for having no exceptions to the club level experience. Evabs said high school and college softball schedules tend to conflict, preventing coaches from attending many high school games to see potential recruits. And second, Evans reported, the quality of play performed by club athletes is "night to day", according to some coaches, compared to non-club players.
A University of New Mexico media spokesperson wouldn't give exact figures, but said a majority (more than 50 percent) of Lobo softball players are also club team alum.
It's clear in Mona Stevens' winning program, and throughout the rest of the tough Mountain West Conference, it's a hit to have a club team on one's resume.
Players Mentioned
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