“Our feeder program in North Lewisburg started years ago – 1985,” said Cardinals coach Shari Dixon, who honed her coaching skills under innovator and Ohio High School Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Bob Davidson.
“From there, we went to where had a core travel team. The three years we made it to state, those kids had all played travel ball together since they were 10 years old. That made a difference.”
Dixon laments the declining numbers she’s seeing and fears it’s a sign of the times.
“We don’t have as many young kids traveling now,” she said. “Most of the kids who travel are on varsity, but the ones coming up are not. I’m sure expense has a lot to do with it, given the money (and logistics) involved.”
- Kenton Ridge coach Sarah Schalnat, a former three-sport star for the Cougars, is no fan of one-sport ultimatums.
“We actually like for our kids to play other sports,” said Schalnat, whose Division II, state runner-up team hosts Springfield in a non-league season opener at 5 p.m. today. “It’s good for their bodies to not use the same muscles. It’s good for them to play basketball or volleyball, too.”
Kenton Ridge, 31-3 a year ago, recently completed a Central Buckeye Conference sweep in three marquee girls sports, winning titles in softball, volleyball and basketball.
“We were actually just talking about that the other day – how we won in volleyball and basketball, and hopefully it’s our turn again in softball, but the kids weren’t really crossing over to play those sports,” Schalnat said. “I wonder sometimes how much better we all might be if these kids did cross over.”
The Cougars are bidding for their second-straight CBC Kenton Trail title after dethroning Tippecanoe, 17-3 and 6-2, last spring. That ended the Red Devils’ five-year championship streak.
Adding to the CBC’s industrial strength is Greenon’s anticipated improvement under OHSFSCA Hall of Famer Rick Armstrong.
“He has a lot of high expectations and is from the old-school (method of coaching),” Schalnat said. “They might have a rough year or two (of transition) but they’ll be fine.”
- Southwest District treasurer Rick Armstrong would like to see the CBC abandon its practice of facing the same opponent in back-to-back games.
“I don’t like it, to be honest with you,” said Armstrong, in his first season at Greenon after a successful career at Fairmont. “We went to that format during my last several years in the (Greater Western Ohio Conference). I liked it better when you had a little more time in between to prepare for tough opponents.
“It’s done more for baseball. They don’t want to use the same pitcher back-to-back. In softball, we can throw a girl a couple of days in a row.”
Armstrong would also like to see a move to a super sectional tournament format, given the strength and proximity of the area’s Division II team’s.
“Coaches voted 71 percent in favor,” he said, “but the Southwest District board voted it down, 9-0. They apparently didn’t think it was a good idea.”
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