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August 31, 2002
Willow Glen, California Since 1992 |
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Photo courtesy of West Valley Slammers
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Batter Up: Members of the West Valley
Slammers girls softball team proudly display
their trophies after finishing the season
with an impressive 21-8 record.
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The West Valley Slammers play softball for the love of the game
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I-chun Che
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The summer sun was still burning bright, even
though it was dinnertime. The 12 girls of the
12-and-under West Valley Slammers ran around
the softball field at Bagby School, 1840
Harris Ave., to warm up for another evening's
practice.
"Why did you stop near the trees?" asked
Vince Bertolacci, the team's head coach, in a
stern voice when they returned.
"You've got to run again," Bertolacci
ordered.
The team's four other coaches - Rick Giraudo,
Mike Foltz, Anthony Cannino and Scott
Thomas - all nodded in approval.
The girls have had a very demanding training
schedule during the past two months. They
practiced five days a week, three hours a
day, for two weeks before their first
tournament on June 15. Then they practiced
three days a week, two hours a day, for the
rest of the season. To stay on the team,
players were allowed to miss only one
tournament out of a total of six.
But their hard work paid off.
The Slammers finished the season with an
impressive 21-8 record. They won the Bagby
Classic in San Jose, finished second at the
Livermore Tournament and third at the Arroyo
Grande Tournament and the Devil Mountain
Classic in San Ramon.
"Softball is fun," said Willow Glen resident
Michelle Giraudo, the team's pitcher. "It's
great exercise."
Giraudo's father, Rick, has been training her
in softball since she was four. She is versed
in throwing fastballs, curveballs, droppers
and "Grandma Shirley" balls - a term Rick
coined to name pitches that are low and slow
and that even Michelle's grandmother,
Shirley, can catch.
Teammates call Giraudo 'Smiley' because she
always encourages them with her broad smile.
Monica Wimmer, the team's center fielder,
said she enjoys playing softball because she
can get dirty.
"It's fun when you hit a home run," said
Monica, whose nickname is Flash because of
her speed. "But I haven't achieved that goal.
I plan to get there soon."
The team also included Michelle Haughey,
Nicole Bertolacci, Montanna Maggetti, Anna
Cannino, Paulette Butera, Kacey Foltz, Ashley
Bowler, Athena Salinas, Christina Robello and
Kelsey Butera.
The coaches chose all the girls from other
softball teams. But aside from a few new
faces, most of the players have known each
other for a long time. And camaraderie has
only grown as the girls have played together.
Willow Glen resident Montanna Maggetti, the
team's outfielder, likes to tell strangers
that she and Nicole Bertolacci, the third
baseman, are twins.
"We've known each other since we were born,"
Maggetti said. "Both of us have brown hair
and hazel eyes."
To boost team morale, the girls begin each
game with a group cheer.
"We're the Slammer clan. We're the best in
the land. We're the team with the most on the
ball from the peanut state to the Golden
Gate. We're gonna win over all. We're the
red, blue and white. And we're real dynamite.
And we're gonna win tonight, so when all the
other teams are shot, Slammers will still be
hot, hot. Slammers will still be hot."
Anthony Cannino, the Slammers' defense coach,
said it's different training girls and boys.
"With girls, you cannot yell at them," said
Cannino, whose daughter, Anna, is the first
baseman. "You have to encourage them and give
them a lot of reinforcement."
Besides the five committed coaches, the
girls' parents also contribute to the team's
success.
During the two-month tournament season, Anita
Robello took her five children by bus from
Morgan Hill to San Jose for Christina's
regular practices. While Christina was
playing, she and her four other children
waited on the sidelines. Often they would
arrive back home around 10 p.m.
"It's worth it," Anita said. "Christina is
happy playing on the team."
In their last tournament, at San Ramon
Central Park, the team beat three home teams
but lost to the Milpitas All Stars twice.
"The girls did a good job," said Jeff Bowler,
father of the Slammers' outfielder, Ashley.
"I'd rather a game be decided by one wrong,
whether we win or lose, than to win a game by
10 wrongs."
Willie Wimmer, Monica's father, said that the
last game was the best game of the season.
"It's a great thing to see a child play like
this and with such good company," Wimmer
said. "It's a good lesson in life. Things can
be tough, but you just have to keep trying."
The girls' perseverance also won the respect
of their opponents.
Raymond Fernando, father of the Milpitas All
Stars' pitcher, Linda, strode across the
field to speak to the Slammers' head coach,
Bertolacci, at the end of the game.
"Your team is fabulous," Fernando said. "You
have a team that never gives up."
Bertolacci smiled.
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