Well, it has been a momentous summer for fastpitch players and fans alike – to say the least. By now most all of you know that the Olympic re-instatement efforts and BackSoftball! movement are not completely dead, but they are definitely on life support. The International Olympic Committee will have its final vote of the full body in October in Copenhagen, but the results (which are unlikely to be overturned) of the initial vote have not included softball (nor baseball) in the 2016 Olympics, instead giving the nod to Rugby Sevens and Golf.

I think many of us felt this decision looming, but were working as hard as we could to promote the sport, and I know many, many hard-working folks who gave everything they had to develop softball worldwide in such magnitude that they could prove the sport worthy of inclusion. Alas, their efforts may not have reaped the crops they were hoping for, but for every single child, teenager, or adult who now plays softball in far-flung places, in soccer-dominated countries, or where people just thought previously that our sport is some weird version of Cricket because of their efforts...well...we all need to take a moment and tip our caps and visors to them. Their work was challenging and essential, and we all owe them a debt of gratitude. If you run across any of these folks, be sure to say “thank you” to them.

So...the Olympic Bid – and the dreams of many a girl to wear the Red, White, and Blue in the Olympics -- is not completely out yet, but as you can tell by my column, it’s two outs, two strikes, bottom of the seventh, and we’re down by 3 runs.

Now for the positive – remember when grandma told you “every cloud has a silver lining?” Consider these “silver” items:
1) Girls – work hard! You can still wear the Red, White, and Blue! We do have a national team, and we do have a World Cup! It will now become the premier event worldwide, and will still attract the very best! We still have the Canada Cup, the Pan-Am Games, and likely several more to be developed! It may actually end up being good for international play. The Olympics were only every four years. With great development, we may end up with MORE international playing opportunities!
2) You can still dream of playing professionally in the NPF, the PFX Tour, and overseas in the European leagues! The NPF will likely be flooded with Olympic players for a little while, but the good news is that the talent level should remain amazing and help grow the league. As the league grows and expands, there will be more playing opportunities for us! Continue to work hard! Dream big!
3) People aren’t going to just stop playing softball because the Olympics are no longer an option. Softball existed before the Olympics, and now, with all the attention the sport received and the international development that led up to the recent Olympic bid, I would wager it will be stronger than it was before the Olympics!
4) We have the greatest – by far – High School and College Softball Programs in the world! You can still train and win that college scholarship. Yes, playing for the Olympic Team was a dream, but realistically, only 18 girls out of millions who play got that opportunity. As a mentor of mine is fond of saying, it’s the journey...not the destination that matters. The training, the drive that you will still have to play in the World Cup will be what pushes you to new heights now, and gets you to college and beyond. Enjoy the journey!

Ultimately, we have no choice but to move forward and see what this new. Post-Olympics Softball world looks like. My guess is that as long as there is grass and dirt, a little chalk, and something to use for bases, bats and balls, softball will live on -- and to those of us who love the sport like you and I do – we can rest assured that long after we’ve hung up our spike for good, there will be both children and adults throughout the world who continue to swing away with smiles on their faces.

Until next time, smile and dream big, but play hard, cuz there ain’t nothin soft about it!

Tiffany Brooks makes her home in Spokane, WA. As always, you can reach her with comments and suggestions at gutallstop@hotmail.com