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 (Photo by David Goldsmith) caption:
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PGSA Softballers Enjoyed Competing In Culminating Season With Playoffs
By Bill Alden
Joseph Campisi lucked into a nice way to beat the sweltering heat that hit the area last week.
After coaching his Coral team to the championship in the Princeton Girls Softball Association (PGSA) Rookies League last Wednesday at the Community Park fields, Campisi's squad of excited first and second graders drenched him with their water bottles as though he were Bill Parcells winning the Super Bowl.
"That dousing was a surprise, it felt good," said Campisi, whose team overcame a two-run last inning deficit to win 18-17. "It was a really good group of girls. As a coach, I was a little intimidated by coaching the rookies, I have a thin level of patience. What kept me going was the way the kids have been learning the game and really wanted to get better."
Campisi, though, hoped that his players got more out of the experience than learning where to throw the ball or what constitutes a force play.
"I grew up playing team sports," said Campisi. "The by-products of that experience were camaraderie, friendships, and the thrill of competition. If some of the girls got that, I'm happy."
One of Campisi's players, Katie Alden, a second-grader at Johnson Park School, gained those elements from her experience this season with Coral.
"It was just fun playing the games," said Alden. "The games are exciting. There were some people that were on my team last year and some people that I didn't know. I made new friends. I want to keep playing."
The head of PGSA, Paul Gray, sought to add a little excitement to the program this spring.
"We made some changes, we introduced interleague play in the Majors," said Gray, noting that the teams in that level (Grades 5-6) played teams from New Egypt, Lawrence, and West Windsor-Plainsboro. "That added a new dimension, it was good for the girls to get exposed to that."
Gray, who helped coach Sapphire over Golden in the Minor championship game (Grades 3-4), is looking to combine the nurturing atmosphere of the league with a little dose of hardball.
"I love the family feeling of the league, we're not going to ever lose that," said Gray, noting that 153 girls and 12 parents participated in the PGSA this spring. "There is no reason that we can't add a little salt and pepper to the mix to make things more competitive."
In the view of Alan Kaplan, his Regal team thrived on the competition as it overcame Pacific to win the Majors title.
"I think they were a little nervous at the beginning," said Kaplan. "Once they got into things, they became composed. Their fielding was really improved. I wanted them to get to the point where the fundamentals are innate."
Like Campisi, Kaplan is hoping that his players get something more out of the game than a grasp of the fundamentals.
"My goal is for the girls to learn to love the game like I do," asserted Kaplan, who frequently includes the instruction "have fun" with his on-field pointers. "I want to get it to be part of their soul. Softball is a sport you can play your whole life."
Based on the laughter, cheers, and the impromptu showers seen around Community Park last week, it looks like many of the girls in the PGSA are on their way to becoming softball lifers.
