How did NC fastpitch start and grow...

...to where it is today?

Certainly the wheels were turning well before I had any interest in the game, and I'm sure that statement speaks for a bunch of us. And BTW, THANKS, to all who have paved the way for such a great game, family, and structure for our kids.

HMMM, a fastpitch family tree!!!....that would be really cool.

Many, Many, Many good folks, teams, sponsors, and even the origin of fastpitch in NC, are the things I'd like to hear from ya'll about.

Thanks, Fishman.

 

GrandDaddy Marlin played....

baseball at WFU, and then was with the Pirates org. back in the 50s. I can remember going to his fastpitch games when I was a guppy. I do remember his make shift sliding pad.
Beleive me, I knew where to find it when a spankin was coming my way!
Me and my brothers still laugh about that.
So, I'm 48, I figure I was maybe 5 or 6 then....so, naught, naught + double naught.....gives me the math answer in years of......43 years ago.

Is there still mens fastpitch?

 

I believe Cometfan was one of the originals of introducing fp to NC...in fact, Cometfan may have been one of the original founders of softball. I think he played with Doubleday..................................Sorry, couldn't help it Paul. I get this a lot in the baseball forum.

 

Actually, my husband played in the Roy Hobbs baseball league up until my dd started playing. Baseball is alive and well. This weekend the men's 30 and over.....that being said, some were MUCH older......played at the USA park in Cary. Very entertaining to say the least

 

Now! Let's see! Doubleday is a publisher. I might fit into that catagory? As far as a founder of softball....... I am certainly old enough to be, but I am afraid that I will have to give someone else credit for that. Carry on Braves............

 

Because Of Me !!

I started it !! Just ask my DD !!

Guru

 

From the mind of an old timer

Here is what I remember about the beginnings of fastpitch in the Charlotte area. It seems like yesterday, but at the same time it seems a hundred years ago.
The dates are close but I could not find anything to substantiate them so please forgive a few errors in the timeline.
My DD was one of the ones that made the transition from Slowpitch to Fastpitch back then. I believe it was in 1992 that the rec. leagues, with a bunch of arguing, started to recognize fastpitch and formed leagues..MHAA, MARA and Indian Trail were among the pioneers as I remember. The game was nothing like it is now, Pitchers duels were still won by a run but the score was more likely 17 to 16 There were more walks and hit batters then hits and strike outs were more a result of a batter wanting to just swing at the first three pitches and not get hit then any skill on the pitchers part. No one knew anything about pitching. Jim Daley was one of the first pitching coaches to start working with our girls back then.
It was a couple of years later (1994 I think) that the NCHSAA, after much pressure by parents and coaches started fastpitch in high school I remember thinking that they got it backwards as Middle schools stayed at slowpitch for another two seasons.
Travel ball started out as Rec. league all-stars and they played in tournaments during the summer.
The first summer team my DD was on was the Mint Hill Hurricanes 12u. There were so few teams in 1994 that played during the summers then that we had to play 14u in every tournament. That team is listed in the NSA book as the 12u State champions for that year and never won a game, it turned out that we were the first and only 12u team in NCNSA that year.
I also remember the first true TB teams from the area and the problems it started with the local Rec. leagues. The Vipers were the first team as I remember to get the better players from the Mint Hill Athletic Association. And play year round tournament ball. It was started by Greg Hall, and Doug Barker. Man what an uproar it started, MHAA said they would ban anyone associated with the Vipers from ever playing or coaching in Mint Hill. Then the very next year, Bill Barrett, the head of the MHAA softball program stepped down from that post and the Curve was born. The Viper, and Curve rivalry was intense to say the least
During the first year or so the Vipers tried to play both fast and slow pitch, that was a fiasco, but with all the rivalries with the Dirt Dobbers and others in slowpitch it was understandable.
The two High players from the charlotte area that I remember most from the beginning are Lale Rory and Sherry Olickson (sp). Lale pitched for Independence and Sherry for North Meck. The first H.S.Fastpitch game I watched was North Meck vs Indy at Indy and man it was electric. Both pitchers dominated and were among the first, if not the first two NC from CMS schools players that went on to play fastpitch in college.
The rest, as they say is history.

 

Grandma is doing ok. She had the surgery at Presbyterian Ortho. Hosp. as an out patient. She had a torn maniscus <sp> in her knee. She will be fine after a few days. Just pain from the surgery right now. Thanks for asking about Grandma.