THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 4, 1994 TAG: 9408020144
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 19 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DENISE MICHAUX, COMPASS SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 94 lines
THERESA MASSIE LOVES softball.
She started playing before she reached her teens and continued through her high school days at Booker T. Washington.
But all too quickly the real world caught up with her and days spent working as a paralegal and motherhood were the priorities.
But Massie missed the game and subjecting her 33-year-old body to the rigors of coed leagues wasn't what she had in mind.
So Massie teamed with Christy Anderson, both of whom played for Azalea Little League as kids. The duo took over coaching the Azalea 9- and 10-year-old girls all-star team.
``I missed it so much,'' Massie said. ``This lets me relive my childhood.''
The all-star team is made up of 14 players from the eight District 8 teams, four major and four minor division teams. The coaches submit a list and then give Massie and Anderson one week to scout out the players before the voting is done at the end of the regular season.
Then the real work work begins.
Imagine throwing together 14 young girls and turning them into a team in two weeks.
``You always hear one of the girls saying `so-and-so said to do it this way' and someone else says the same thing,'' Massie said. ``And we are there trying to tell them that this is the way we are doing things now.
``The first two or three days were like that.''
Then they got down to business.
``All of the girls had to learn to bunt,'' Massie said. ``None of them knew how to do that. We just really stressed fundamentals and spent nearly three hours a day practicing.
``We had all different kinds of girls on the team, and we had to teach them how to play together as a team, when they had been playing against each other all season.''
Massie added that one of most important things to come out of the tournament wasn't so much the result but the sportsmanship and teamwork the girls learn in a very short time.
``They have such a thirst for knowledge,'' Massie said. ``It's great to teach them something new, they always want to know more. The real challenge is teaching them to get along.''
The other key ingredient was giving these girls a taste of victory.
``I don't think winning was real important to them at first,'' Massie said.
They defeated Plaza and Naval Air Station to claim the District 8 title and it was on to the state tournament.
Rain reduced the state tournament to single elimination and washed out several days of practice.
The result was a first-round loss to Clinch River.
``I know if we could have had a couple more days of practice . . .'' Massie said. ``At this age group, you have to practice all of the time. You have to reinforce the fundamentals constantly.
``They were a totally different team out there. Christy and I just looked at each other and wondered what was going on. They knew how to do the things they were messing up.''
But along with learning how to win, comes learning how to lose.
``It humbled them a litte bit,'' Massie said. ``A couple of them had tears in their eyes, but they knew they did their best.''
This was Massie's second year with this team and it continues to bring back memories of her own experiences.
``This is just one of those things you don't forget,'' Massie said. ``You build a lot of friendships that will last a lifetime.'' Each of the players received a pin for being selected to the team and have a flag honoring them as the 1994 District 8 champions hanging at the ball field.
``I've saved my pin for 21 years,'' Massie said. ``And that flag is something they can all be proud of. We try to teach them that this is something they can work at and maybe play in high school or maybe even it will help get them into that college they want to go to.
``In this tournament, everybody gets to play. Sometimes during the regular season a girl will sit on the bench all season and think she has really wasted her time. We don't let that happen. Everybody got to play at least two innings.''
Massie is relishing the break after a hectic few weeks, but she is already thinking about March signups and next season when her daughter, Ashley, who has been playing since she was four years old, will be nine and able to follow in her footsteps at Azalea. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by C. BAXTER JOHNSON
Azalea coaches Kristy Andrews, Theresa Massie and Keith Cruz,
kneeling, talk with all-star team members Vonda Wiggins, Delicia
Cordon, Daneshia Miller, Kayla Meacom, Kendall Andrews and Ashley
Earley.
by CNB