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  • Submitted photo/Michael Andrew America's Team members: From left, Allison Crick, Taylor Andrew, Shelby Edington, Tori Tilley (sitting), Bostyn Bailey and Madison Hanson.

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July 4, 2012

America’s team: Valley softball players will tour Italy through ASA

Andy Amey The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — The Indiana Attitude is playing in a pretty important Amateur Softball Association 16U tournament this week in Columbus, but it’s hard to imagine some of the players aren’t already looking ahead.

What many of them will be doing later this month may not be quite as competitive, but figures to be even more entertaining, more educational … even more expensive, and maybe more fattening.

They’ll be part of America’s Team, one of three softball teams from the United States that will tour Italy from July 23 to Aug. 2, playing six games — two each in Milan, Rome and Florence — and otherwise doing what tourists do in Italy.

“We’ll pretty much see the entire country,” said Mike Andrew, coach of the Attitude and also of America’s Team, “and if we’re not playing ball, we’re sightseeing.”

Andrew, currently the softball coach at South Vermillion High School, was invited to participate because of his national contacts in the Amateur Softball Association, where he was on its National Council and also served as national player representative for 20 years.

His friendship with Dot Richardson, the former U.S. Olympic shortstop whose home run was the only run in the first Gold Medal game in 1996 in Atlanta, led to a call from Brigham Joy, the president of America’s Team. The tour is under the auspices of the American Council for Institutional Studies and will be provided with its own bus, its own guides and its own interpreters.

One of its purposes is to promote the sport of softball, hopefully spurring enough interest overseas to have the sport re-inserted into the Olympic lineup by 2020 (it was eliminated after the 2008 Olympics and will not be added in 2016).

The tour is not a one-year deal either; Andrew will be going five years, with Switzerland and Austria on the schedule in 2013, Spain in 2014, France in 2015 and the Dominican Republic in 2016. He already has some players in place for next summer’s tour — players interested are invited to contact him — and has one player already expecting to make all five trips.

Although the coach admits he doesn’t know exactly what to expect from the Italian teams his girls will be playing, he does predict his players — all 14 to 17 years old — will be competing against some older women.

“I’m kind of nervous,” said Shelby Edington, the team’s youngest player, prior to a practice last week. “I’m excited to go … but we could be playing against adults there … and the long plane ride makes me nervous.”

Edington, who will be a freshman at West Vigo in the fall, isn’t so nervous that she’s not ready to go, however. Neither are some of her teammates who were interviewed that day.

“The [United Parcel Service] guy came to our house,” said Taylor Andrew, Mike’s daughter, who will be a sophomore at South Vermillion, “and I saw the uniforms and got excited.”

“I’m very excited,” agreed Allison Crick, who will be a sophomore at Terre Haute North. “We can go shopping, and sightseeing … it’s been my dream to go to Italy.”

“I’ve never been farther [from home] than Florida, so this is like a dream come true,” added Northview sophomore Tori Tilley.

“I’ve never been on a plane,” said South Vermillion sophomore Bostyn Bailey, “but most of my family talks about how they’ve been to Italy, and I want to see what they’ve seen.”

“I want to see all the old stuff,” said Covington sophomore Madison Hanson.

“I want to try all the desserts,” said Taylor Andrew, the one planning to make all five trips, “and I hear they have really cute purses there … and we get to stand on the balcony where Romeo and Juliet stood.”

“I’m ready to try gelato,” said Edington.

“Pizza and spaghetti,” Tilley chimed in.

Other Indiana girls making the trip are Christian Chambers from North Central, Karlie Crouch and Morgan Willhite from South Vermillion, Meghan Hall of Covington and Christian Robinson of North. Two Florida girls recruited by Richardson, Samantha Stapleton and Stephanie Cameron, will join the team in Washington, D.C., for the flight to Italy.

The fun they expect to have is a reward for some hard work they’ve already put in, Mike Andrew pointed out. Each player was responsible for raising her own trip money — something like $5,000 each — because if the trip were subsidized in any way the players would lose their amateur standing and high school eligibility.

They plan to be good ambassadors for their country and for softball.

“I want to see how [the Italians’] competition is, if it’s anything like it is here,” Bailey said.

“I’m excited to wear the [red, white and blue] uniform … and [excited about] this team,” said Hanson.

“We are very thankful for the support we’ve received, and for the opportunity,” Crick stressed.

“I’m going to wear a USA uniform and play softball with my best friends,” Taylor Andrew said, an obvious answer to a question about her favorite part of the tour.

“Food, shopping — and the opportunity to play softball too,” Edington concluded.

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