As most of you who read last issue's column remember, you left your intrepid columnist (moi), contemplating ice-sculptured softballs, sliding down mini-ski hills on her backside, and pining away for the smell of fresh-cut grass while teaching her students to track-it-and-whack-it in local area cages. Well, with the crack of March, I've had a BIG week, full of new revelations!

Revelation Number One: Brace yourselves. Yesterday, on the way to the gym, I was driving by my neighborhood softball field (where I often go to run sprints and take a few grounders)...and...I saw MUD! Yes, it's true...there where I remembered the infield to be (prior to the invasion of the New Laurentian Ice Floes – yeah, that's real...look it up), I saw dark brown, swampy, mucky, wonderful M-U-D! Now considering that when I had just gotten my Jeep out of the garage 10 minutes earlier I stepped around snow piles still about 5 feet high in places and was musing that I would be mowing around the bloody things in June, I was thoroughly amazed and excited! I pictured myself out there in just a few weeks, running and playing ball! I suppose that's a bit optimistic, but considering that I've been giving a final rush of lessons to Spokane's young, up-and-coming elite High School Fastpitch players as they get ready for Varsity tryouts throughout the city and county, I KNOW Spring is coming, and ballplayers all over the Northwest are rejoicing – but those first few weeks outside, with numb hands and the occasional snow flake drifting down take DEDICATION... which brings me to...

Revelation Number Two: Rewind a few days to earlier in the week. The mud (glorious mud) has not yet revealed itself, and the infield is still snug under a layer (albeit thinning) of ice and snow, the outfield, however, has become a patchwork quilt of ice patches, soggy, brown dead-grass patches, and just an ever-so-few green blades, teasing us with the hint of what is to come. Then I saw her. Perched on a small raft of brown and slightly green, stood a young woman of about 13 or 14 in a jacket. Nothing too unusual there, but she was holding a bat...and a softball. The scene would have been a fitting subject for a tragic painting about loneliness and hopefulness if I hadn't glanced back to see her throw the ball in the air and fungo the crud out of it!!! It was raining and spitting snow intermittently, and Holy Cats (!!!), here was this girl out there throwing a ball up, hitting it, running after it, and doing it all over again. I had to pull over and watch for a minute. Here, I thought, was DEDICATION and love for the sport. I thought back to the hours I spent throwing a tennis ball against a concrete block wall when I was a kid, the times when no one else wanted to play ball, so I went out into a field by myself, and threw that ball up in the air and hit it – just like her -- playing games, trying to hit targets I set for myself or marking the distances and trying on the next hit for it to travel even further. I remembered doing the same thing in ice and snow, and remembered amusing myself for hours with sticks and rocks when I didn't have a ball and bat handy. I had to stop and watch and admire her dedication. I wanted to go tell her "Way to go! Keep it up!" but somehow the silence and leaving her to her imagination seemed the better road to take.

Revelation Number Three: The Women's Fastpitch Softball Association. Dedication does not end when you're 14. I was thinking about this the other day – that I've been training with weights since I was 15, and continue to work hard so I can play the game I love. Now, ladies, we all have a new opportunity to remain dedicated and play Fastpitch into our 40's and beyond!!! Now the GAME does not stop after High School or College (or for the lucky few) after the Olympics or Pro Leagues. There have always been scattered ASA adult fastptich programs throughout the country, and a few programs here and there for Adult Fastpitch in city and county leagues, but for the FIRST time I know of, there is a NEW national association that focuses on Adult (18+) Fastpitch throughout the country. It's called the Women's Fastpitch Softball Association, and although it's just getting started (2009 is its maiden season), it has an innovative approach that encourages a "level playing field" and opportunity for all...from those with zero Fastpitch experience to several years of college ball and beyond. What makes it most unique is that the concept emphasizes various age groups and ability levels; for example, the Association's goal is to have age divisions for 25+, 35+, 45+, and an "Open" division for 18+. Within each age group are several further subdivisions (contingent upon adequate numbers of players, of course) ranging from "Rookie" (little or no fastpitch experience but a desire to try the sport and develop), to "A" (rec level; some HS experience) to "AA" (HS experience and some college) to the top end, "AAA" (3-4 years college ball and beyond). So imagine: You're in your late 40's and have been playing slow-pitch and would like to try fastpitch but you never played. You take your daughter to practice for her 16U team and it looks like a lot of fun. Sign up for 45+ Rookie and give it a shot! You're 22, done with your college softball career and want to keep playing? The answer? Open AAA. You're 36 and played a little in High School? Why not try 35+ A? Or... as a final example, you run around all the time muttering "There Ain't Nothin" Soft About it" under your breath, have continued to train and play anything with a stick-and-a-ball, and you're STILL dedicated to your sport... maybe you're just a hot enough player to go show those younger Open players what it's all about! Go for Open AAA and don't look back!

At present there are nine (9) leagues recruiting for players (including three leagues in California, one In Washington and two in Colorado), and I urge all of you who want to continue playing Fastpitch (or return to it) to sign-up for a team, sign-up to form your own league (Ever said, "If I ran the league, things would be different?" Want to be a league president? Here's your chance!). According to Hector Garcia, current Director of the program, many more developments for the WFSA are just on the horizon: National tournaments, an online Fastpitch Today magazine for members, WFSA logo merchandise, and National Ranking for each division will be coming soon! You can find out more about this great new Association and its leagues by going to www.womensfastpitchsoftball.net and by writing to Hector or Joe Collins at wfsadirector@comcast.net.

Until next time, keep muttering "Ain't Nothin' Soft" under your breath and go fungo like you're 14 again!

As always, Tiffany welcomes your comments, revelations, and column suggestions at gutallstop@hotmail.com.