the Lacey Moody / PHOTO by CINDY WAYLAND
by JOSH HARRINGTON America’s favorite pastime is baseball, and Oklahoma’s love for baseball is nearly as intense as its love for football. People gather from all walks of life to watch two teams battling through nine innings that combine strategy and raw athleticism to determine who comes out on top. The sport has many incarnations, ranging from tee ball for the crumb snatchers learning the game to the grueling, professionalgrade baseball that has solidified the positions of legends like Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson and rising stars like Mike Trout and Aaron Judge in the annals of American History. Let’s not forget the girls, though; speaking to most scholastic and, sometimes, professional capacities, softball is the medium in which girls can participate in a baseballesque sport. Obviously, there are a few steps in between learning the fundamentals of baseball through tee ball and coach pitch and playing on the grand stage. For those with a more intense dedication to the game, there are leagues that play year-round to better accommodate these baseball-fanatics; more often than not, these student athletes devote their three-month summer hiatus from school to better themselves on the diamond. Enter the summer-league baseball and softball travelling teams. For parents, there is a subtle beauty in summer-league travelling baseball and softball: in addition to taking vacations across the United States and enjoying the wonderful landmarks this nation has to offer, you get to pawn your kiddos off on a pair of volunteers who sacrifice their time simply for the love of the game. However, one set of these kiddos and a pair of volunteers from Bristow, in particular, have accomplished more than your average travelling team 22 THE CORRIDOR MAGAZINE / JUNE 2020
could ever dream to achieve. Coach Jason Williams and Coach Gary Gramm have prepared the 04 Texas Glory for duels on the diamond since the team formed as the 8U squad, appropriately dubbed the Bristow Lady Pirates. The squad now heads into their first year of 16U-level of competition, which would be daunting for most teams, even for those who have excelled in their divisions. However, with nearly 75 to 100 games a year in the Class A division and the team winning a great deal of those, Coach Williams and Coach Gramm think that the girls are more than capable and more than ready to compete at the next level. “These girls have an unbelievable chemistry on and off the field,” Gramm said. Williams added, “The sky really is seriously the limit; several of them already have offers from Division-1, Division-2, and JUCO schools, and they just played as freshmen and sophomores this past season. High school ball won’t be the end of the line for most of them who want to go out and compete at the collegiate level.” D-1 and D-2 offers to underclassmen playing softball for Bristow High School? Keep in mind that Bristow is renowned on the gridiron around the state for our gritty flexbone offense and our impenetrable defensive line. Keep in mind that the Bristow Wrestling Squad is the historical benchmark for success on the mat for 2A through 6A schools. Keep in mind that our track team was en route to a three-peat of State Championships before the cancellation of spring sports, and our baseball team has found much success as well, sending a plethora of players off
