A Softball Legacy

For the Love of the Game By Kathleen Reynolds

For Emma Foote’s family, softball is more than a hobby, it’s a legacy.

“I’m president of the Napa Valley Girl’s Fastpitch Association (NVGFA), which is also known as Kiwanis Softball,” says Emma, who has been part of the league since the age of 17. “My mom, Pat O’Brien, started out as a coach and member-at-large of the association, then she came in as president and did that for about ten years. After that, she was co-president with Karly Michie for a few years before I became president.

“My family’s interest in softball started with my grandfather, William ‘Willie’ O’Brien, who was very active in the community. He played baseball in World War II and in high school and loved the game, helping kids and coaching. When he got involved, we all fell in love with it. He was on the Board, served as president and head coach for 20 years for his team, O’Brien’s Arco. When my aunt was young, she started playing and my other aunt did the same thing, followed by my mother. It became a family tradition. When I was a kid, my dad played men’s fastpitch softball and slow pitch while my mom coached. So, I was out at the ballpark when I was only a few days old; the fame runs deep into our family history, that’s why we’re out there.”

Two divisions comprise the NVGFA: the Majors, ages 12 ½ to age 15 ½, and the Seniors, ages 15 ½ to 19. This year, there are about 90 girls playing in the two divisions.

Emma says there’s no official affiliation with the Napa Junior Girls’ Softball League, which starts at age four for T-Ball and ages 7 to 13 for fastpitch. “But girls come up through Napa Junior Girls and assimilate into Kiwanis Softball. My mom was the vice president there; I was a coach.”

“Our opening day is usually after the end of the high school academic year,” says Emma, whose daytime job is for the Planning Division at the City of Napa. “When I played, it was during high school and the high school girls couldn’t play while school was insession. They could practice one day a week but couldn’t play. Because of our dwindling numbers, we’ve had to accommodate that

and move the season back to get more players.”

“Regular registration is $185, early registration is $165. There is a sibling discount of $15, and payments can be half on registration and half when the season starts. We’ve also had people split it into four parts, so there are many different options. Family members can work at the Snack Shack and reduce their fee. We have scholarship opportunities, too.”

“We play on weeknights Monday through Thursday. We used to play on Sundays, but now with the small number of players, we have a hard time getting players on Sundays because of traveling teams and kids working. The Majors play at 6:00 pm and the Seniors at 8:00 pm.”

“Usually there are 14 games in a season,” Emma says. “We had to shorten it; there used to be 16 games, but because we have to start later and because we have a hard-stop before August, so the kids have time to go on vacation before school begins. We like to give them two or three weeks before school starts. We try to have at least one month of practice before school gets out. It’s harder because they’ve had to start later. It’s also hard because we get dwindling numbers each year, we only had one week of practice before the start of the season this year.”

Competitively, the girls have an annual championship. How are this year’s teams shaping up?

“The past few years in the Seniors division, Conwell Insurance has taken home the championship, but this year it looks like Binstock might take that,” says Emma. “It’s the best of three game championship in both Seniors and Majors. In Majors, it looks like Soscol Auto Body or K&S Asphalt might take that, but you never know; JB Plumbing is having a really strong end of season.”

The association has had players continue the game after they graduate from high school.

“Clare Halsey went on to play at college and Jillian Harnois plays at her school in Texas, but we’ve had many girls play at college and we’re hoping to get that program up and running again.”

“The most important thing Napa should know is that we are at risk of losing the league and not having enough numbers,” says Emma. “It’s a real possibility that we won’t have a league next season. We strive to be a pillar in the community. Not just the softball community, but the whole community. Everybody knows Kiwanis Park on Coombs Street, and we want to keep the tradition alive. We hope we can get the support from the Napa community to come out, sign up and play. We’d like to get more people out to the games and to the Snack Shack. Whenever I talk to people about being the president or summer activities, I tell them about Kiwanis softball and they say, “Oh, we used to love going down to the games and watching under the lights and eating a hotdog.” It feels like that tradition has been lost in the Napa community. Whether they have someone out there or not, I’m hoping we can get that back to keep it alive.”

“We get most of our funding from registration, do a 50/50 raffle at every game and the profit from our Snack Shack. We haven’t had fundraisers, but we’re looking into it. We’re a non-profit organization, so people can write off their donations.”

What do the players get out of playing in the NVGFA?

The NVGFPA website states: “Our goal is to provide a fun, inclusive environment for young athletes to develop physically and emotionally. We welcome players of all skill levels from advanced “travel ball” players to those who have never played before. All athletes are given instruction, encouragement and all are guaranteed playing time. Beyond softball, we seek to help our players develop character, integrity, and a healthy sense of self-esteem. Most will not continue their softball “careers” beyond our league, but we hope to create fond memories and lasting lessons that will carry these athletes into happy adult lives.”

“In our league, specifically, I aim for the kids to have fun,” Emma says. “I want it to be a release to them, because the world is so stressful right now. It’s a safe space where the kids can come and enjoy themselves for a few hours and let loose. When I played, I played competitively in travel softball, but I also played at Kiwanis, and that was where you could fall in love with the game again.”

“That’s really my biggest drive for the kids: to remember why you fell in love with the game, remember why you play and just come and have fun. That’s what we try to do as a board. My wife is out there coaching and that’s what she aims to do; that’s what my mom aims for, too. It’s to have fun, create a safe space and remember why you love the game.”

Emma plans to continue the family tradition.“I have a daughter who is three and a half years old, and she played T-Ball for the first time this year. I hope that she falls in love with the game, as my wife and I did, and like my whole family has done.”

For information about registration, applications and game schedules, check NVGFA.com.