South Brunswick Softball Team Meets Superstar Jennie Finch

Girls on the South Brunswick Vikings U-12 Gold Softball team got the chance of a lifetime a few weeks ago, when they won a contest for a private clinic with Olympic Gold Medalist and softball superstar Jennie Finch.  The team won the grand prize from Weplay, an internet site for youth sports, for the clinic.  It included a question and answer period, skill drills and a photograph and autograph session. 

"It was pretty amazing when we found out we won," said manager Patricia Notarianni.  "We entered the contest last year and hadn't heard anything so we had kind of written it off.  Needless to say we were a little surprised.  When I told the girls they thought I was joking.  The best part is that she's such a recognizable figure in the sport, she's been the face of softball for quite a few years."

The clinic was held on April 29 at Diamond Nation in Flemington.  The team was greeted by Finch as they walked onto the field, before the team presented her with a South Brunswick Vikings jersey with "Finch" emblazoned across the back.

Finch, who still got involved in the drills despite being seven-months pregnant, left a lasting impact on the young girls.

"The girls got to meet someone they really look up to," Notarianni said.  "She's so important for the sport, she's so famous, yet she's really down to earth.  She had some great advice for the girls, about not just softball, but stuff they could carry with them for the rest of their lives.  

"(Finch) was so genuine and she made it special for each one of the kids, she made each kid feel like they were the only kid there, by saying things like nice throw and nice catch.  Even though she was very pregnant, she was right out there with them doing drills."

Beyond the drills on the diamond, Notarianni said the most lasting lesson instilled in the team by Finch was applicable to life, as well as softball.

"The true benefit of her message was that the girls know if they work hard and hustle, their dreams can be real," she said.  "She made them all feel that if they want to be elite at something they can do it through hard work.  She said that girls spend too much time comparing themselves to other girls.  Jennie told them not to compare themselves to anyone else, but to take their strengths and focus on that.  The team took away a lesson that applies not just to softball, but to life, and it will help them grow as people and as players."