Benchmark Happenings

Fast-Pitch Revolution: Tina Gale's Impact on Northeast Tennessee

• Jonathan Tipton, Steve Reed & Christine Reed • Episode 48

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Join us for a dynamic episode where we explore the incredible impact of youth fast-pitch softball on the Northeast Tennessee community, featuring special guest Tina Gale. With nearly two decades of experience, Tina has transformed local sports by creating the Diamond Classic tournaments, bringing together families and young athletes in exhilarating competition each year.

Dive into the story of how Tina began her journey, fueled by a passion for empowering young girls through sports. She shares valuable insights into the economic benefits of these tournaments, highlighting how they attract hundreds of families and generate substantial revenue for local businesses, from hotels to restaurants. But it isn’t just about the numbers; Tina emphasizes the life skills and self-esteem these young players gain from competing and collaborating on the field.

Learn how parents can help their children take their first steps into softball, whether starting at recreational leagues or transitioning to travel teams. This engaging discussion also features heartwarming anecdotes about young athletes who have transitioned from these tournaments to collegiate-level play, showcasing the nurturing environment Tina has cultivated over the years.

As we reflect on the importance of fostering community through activities and sports, tune in to discover how you can get involved and support local softball. Don't forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review if you find value in our work—your engagement helps us to continue shining a light on the amazing stories within our community!

To help you to navigate the home buying and mortgage process, Jonathan & Steve are currently licensed in Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia, contact us today at 423-491-5405 or visit www.jonathanandsteve.com.

Speaker 1:

This is Benchmark Happenings, brought to you by Jonathan and Steve from Benchmark Home Loans. Northeast Tennessee, johnson City, kingsport, bristol, the Tri-Cities One of the most beautiful places in the country to live. Tons of great things to do and awesome local businesses. And on this show you'll find out why people are dying to move to Northeast Tennessee. And on the way we'll have discussions about mortgages and we'll interview people in the real estate industry. It's what we do. This is Benchmark Happenings, brought to you by Benchmark Home Loans and now your host, christine Reed.

Speaker 2:

And now your host, christine Reed. Welcome back everybody to another episode of Benchmark Happenings Podcast. Like always, we are just always excited to have the star of our show a special guest today. She's also a dear friend of mine who I love. Tina Gale, thank you for being on today. Thank you for having me. Absolutely, it's our pleasure.

Speaker 2:

We've known each other for a long time, a long time, and, tina, so you're a top realtor in the East Tennessee market with Conservas Real Estate, and I know that you've partnered with Steve for a long time. So thank you for that. Well, we appreciate Steve. He's the best. Well, thank you. But really, what we're here for today? You really branch out there as a businesswoman and there's a lot of things you're involved in in the community, but you've started Diamond Classic, fast Pitch softball tournaments, and so really, what we're here for today is I want you to share with us what this is all about, how you started this, and I want people to understand how much you bring to the community in the amount of revenue and how much this has grown over the years. So so, tina, tell me, how did you get involved with this to begin with?

Speaker 3:

So I'm going into my. This will be my 17th year hosting. I did not know that youth fast pitch, girls fast pitch. Another friend of ours, amy Patterson I don't know if I've ever told you this story actually approached me 17 years ago because they had a need to grow girls softball in our area. She was someone else who was involved and asked if I would be interested in hosting some fast pitch tournaments and I was like, well sure I had run a couple of fundraisers for United Way back when I worked at Citigroup back in the day so.

Speaker 3:

I said, sure, we'll do it. And the first tournament that I ran, we had like 10 teams. It wasn't a big tournament at all. Okay, so enjoyed it. We did really well. It was very organized. And then here we are, 17 years later now, affiliated with diamond classic fast pitch in the area, locally in our area, and we've grown that actually in the last year, for for the last 12 months um, I held a little over, I think it was over 27 events here in the johnson city area, my goodness, with over 1300 kids or over 1300 teams teams that played last year in our area each weekend.

Speaker 2:

Oh my gosh, how do you keep that?

Speaker 3:

straight. There's a system, right, you've got to have a system and we have built systems over the year and rebuilt them and rebuilt them. So right now you've got good people. I've got good people that help kind of keep all the wheels greased for me, literally. I have my dad keeps my wagon wheels greased so that I can pull a trailer on the weekend. Used to when I first started out, I could fit everything in my car that I would take to the ball field.

Speaker 3:

There's no way I can fit it all in there now, so it's been fun. It's very rewarding to see how this has grown in our area over the last 17 years?

Speaker 2:

Yes, and so when does the season start, tina, for, like this year, for 2025?

Speaker 3:

And that's funny you ask. So it has definitely evolved over the years. We are very fortunate here in Johnson City that we've had leaders that have invested in our ball fields. That have invested in our ball fields Just across the road. We've opened up four brand-new turf fields here in Johnson City, which has allowed us to start earlier, so we're not having to worry about wet weather early this year. Right down the road in Jonesboro there are four more brand-new turf ball fields at Boone's Creek Elementary School. So in the last year we have eight new turf fields. So that is allowing us to start earlier. In the year I think they actually had a um, um college tournament, um, middle of February. So and we will now used to we would start first of March. So now we start the first of February and um, in the past we would be done probably middle of October and we're running through the first weekend in December, as long as Mother Nature allows it to be above freezing. Oh my goodness.

Speaker 2:

Wow.

Speaker 3:

But yeah, we've been very blessed with the leaders here in the Washington County Johnson City area that has put back into the ball fields and they also see the economic impact that it brings. Yes, not only with just softball, we've got softball baseball and the fields here in Johnson City now are multipurpose fields.

Speaker 2:

So they can do soccer there as well. That's great and you know, talking about Johnson City, I participated last year in a class that's called Johnson City 101. And you go to every municipality that Johnson City provides. You meet all the leaders, you learn about it. You municipality that Johnson City provides, you meet all the leaders, you learn about it, you meet the Johnson City Commission. It was probably one of the most beneficial classes that I took and I loved it and I saw that and I understood that of how they've reinvested into the community, especially, you know, with these ball fields being turf and that's not cheap to do but I think, just bringing people together. And I think one thing that I was astounded is you had shared the amount of revenue that comes into the area just for a tournament. So about how many people do you typically expect that comes for a tournament that's going to come into this area?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, so on. So most of my events are mainly one day tournaments, and that's kind of what put me on the map here in our area, Cause we are right on the line with Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina Knoxville can make a one day's trip over here, Um so so we will have a lot-day trip over here.

Speaker 1:

That's great.

Speaker 3:

So we will have a lot of them come over. They may come and spend Friday night, they may stay Saturday night, they may just drive in Saturday morning and leave Saturday night and go home. But on a typical weekend now, when summer is, you know, rearing up and going we'll have 50 teams on a weekend. 50 to 60 teams. Well, you figure there's at least 10 kids on a team times at least two parents per team. So you know, on a 50 team, what you're looking at thousand, you know at least a thousand parents.

Speaker 2:

That doesn't include the coaches and all that coming through right, right, and so that's revenue for all the hotels here, not to mention restaurants that are getting business from this. So typically in a season or maybe with a conference, tina, how much revenue do you think is brought?

Speaker 3:

in basically because they have a sports tourism director. I work very closely with them on a lot of events, and this is just on our one-day events. There's other events that come in and they're in here for a week at a time.

Speaker 3:

So these are just the one days that are here every Saturday and we're trending right around $4 million a year for an economic impact. Wow, we're talking 25 tournaments that are just one day. I know we also have occasionally we will have a larger event, you know, a national tournament that comes in that Johnson City will go and bid on and those teams will come in and stay four and five nights and the economic impact of the. I know I hosted one about three years ago that it rained for three days straight. I said I think the economic impact doubled because when they're not on the ball field, where do you think they were? They were at the mall.

Speaker 3:

I had all kinds of people saying I saw your teams from Florida and they're in there, they're shopping. So absolutely, when they come in they're buying gas. They're going A lot of times. It's fun when we go to some of the smaller town, like we've had a couple of events in Irwin, very small town, but those local vendors, the small restaurants, love that, because I think Powell's ran out of cheddar rounds the first weekend that we were there, you know. So it definitely brings dollars to the community. Of course you know that's just a subset of it. We sure love watching the girls come in and having a place to play locally as well.

Speaker 3:

So and it's it is kind of neat now that I've done this for so long that I've started to see girls who came in and started playing, because we started eight and under. So I've seen girls come in and start at seven years old, eight years old, and now they've gone through the whole program, they've graduated and they're playing ball at UT or King or Emory Henry, etsu. So that's kind of fun to see that progress also.

Speaker 2:

So are you following some of these girls that like at UT? So do you have some favorites that stand out to you?

Speaker 3:

You know they're all my favorites, but I know right now Cameron Sarvis graduated from Daniel Boone High School. I've watched her go all the way through the ranks and she is a junior now at UT. So right now I'm following her pretty closely as well. We've got some local girls that just graduated, also recently, from Dobbins Bennett, that I know will be going to ETSU, so they're just getting started in their collegiate program. So, and you know, some of them play at a smaller level. You know that not every girl can graduate and go play in a D1 school and that's okay.

Speaker 3:

And not every girl graduates and wants to play softball at a higher level, but hopefully they've developed skills over time that you know last, beyond just the seasons, absolutely, and I love that what you said about skills, tina, because really what you're providing for women and for young girls is some of those things that last a lifetime.

Speaker 2:

So building that self-esteem, being able to participate as a team and seeing how important it is to rely on other individuals to bring home a win or just to play a game well, those skill sets and that emotional intelligence are things that you take with you, whether, like you said, you continue to play ball or not, so definitely can help in the professional arena or just you know your personal life basically. And so what's your kind of opinion with women's sports? I know that there's been a lot about that here lately and I just think it's something that we really need to protect Absolutely For girls, 100% would agree with that.

Speaker 3:

You know, trying to protect the sport in itself. You know we are Girls, fast Pitch, without going into a whole lot of detail.

Speaker 2:

Right? No, I know I understand.

Speaker 3:

I think there's a place for everybody in sports. You know, girls Fast Pitch is Girls Fast Pitch, it's right. That's right and we definitely want to protect that brand and their competitiveness within their own. You know male, female realms.

Speaker 2:

Yes, yes, Cause there's so many, there's so much differences there. Absolutely, yeah, and uh, and I think these girls uh, one thing I admire is, uh, uh, female athletes and and girls that are participating in sports, whether it's, you know, the little leagues, you know, just starting out like T-ball Remember T-ball?

Speaker 3:

Yep, did you play T-ball? I played T-ball and you know, even when I played, we played. I said you know what travel ball was when I was young? It meant I played at Bloomingdale Rec ball at 5 pm and then mom put me in the car and took me to Sullivan Gardens Recreation ball at 7 pm and then Eastman. I might've had a rec game that night at 9 pm. So we didn't really have travel ball then like we do now. The sport has really, really evolved and the girls are good. I mean, it's crazy to come out and watch a 10-year-old be able to sling a ball in like they do and throw a fastball or a rise ball or a drop ball. They're doing that at 10 years old now, so it's pretty impressive.

Speaker 2:

It is, and so a fast pitch, and I've watched them on TV. How fast does that ball go, tina?

Speaker 3:

It depends, and here's what we've also learned about softball.

Speaker 3:

You know, I would say we've probably got them at our level. You know, 50 miles an hour coming in, but a lot of times it's not even about how fast it's coming in, it's the movement on the ball. There's so many different pitches now and how they throw them in and are they hitting the corners, and so it's crazy to think that kids at that younger level are being able to say I can pitch a change-up. So it's definitely evolved way more than whenever we were just throwing strikes, you know, back in the day. So, um, but yeah, you know, we, I always go back.

Speaker 3:

You know my own daughter. You know I had high hopes that she would go and play in college. She could have, but she chose not to. And I I look at her to this day and she I always say, if I had to do it all over again, I would definitely have involved her in the travel ball sports, because we had a great coach who taught the girls how to win and lose with class. You know, not, not every game can be about the win. You know, a win is just a subset of of the, it's just a product of the game, but sometimes losses are wins too, you know. So I know that she's been able to take a lot of long-term life lessons from those travel ball tournaments and to be able to apply to her daily routine now as well. Yeah, was this.

Speaker 2:

Leah. Yes, yes, I can see that, and coach.

Speaker 3:

Travis Patterson was her coach.

Speaker 2:

Oh, couldn't have had a better coach, yeah.

Speaker 3:

Very class act. Class act on and off the field.

Speaker 2:

So yes, yes, and also Travis. He coached DB Dobbins Bennett girls. He was an assistant this year.

Speaker 3:

Yes To the state tournament State tournament yeah, first time ever as a softball team at Dobbins Bennett, they were, yeah, state tournament champions. That's awesome and several of those girls have all played in these local tournaments here. Yeah, and, like I said, there's a few of those that have signed and they're going on to play at the collegiate level as well. So that's been fun to watch them do well in the area as well.

Speaker 2:

So that's been fun to watch them do well in the areas. So parents listening to this, how can they? How can they? They have a child.

Speaker 3:

That's you know wants to get involved. What do they need to do, tina? How do you get signed up for this? You know a lot of them will start at the rec level. You know the local parks and rec. Johnson City has a parks and rec. Kingsport has a parks and Recreation Department. So a lot of them will start at that level and then they will. Sometimes they want just that little bit more, and travel ball is not for everyone. There's nothing wrong with staying back and just playing rec ball too. But as they get to wanting more, a little higher caliber of players.

Speaker 3:

There's all kinds of Facebook groups. A lot of them will reach out to me as well and say, hey, do you know a team that's having tryouts? And so I get that a lot to say. I've got a girl right now that's 12 years old. She's been playing rec ball. Is there a local team that is having a tryout? And I will try to connect them.

Speaker 3:

But there's also local groups on Facebook. I think just about every team out there has their own team page. There are some teams that have an actual program. You know local programs and they'll have an eight U, a 10 U, a 12 U, a 14 U, so they have a age group in all ages. You know they'll have a team in all ages. So you know, if there's someone out there that you know they're looking to get their child started and they want to give me a call, I'll be happy to. I've got a website. It's tennesseesoftballcom. I think I've got just about everything on there that someone could possibly need to get going, and I certainly don't mind to field a phone call here and there and try to help them out as well.

Speaker 2:

Awesome, so tennesseesoftballcom.

Speaker 3:

Yes tennesseesoftballcom.

Speaker 2:

So yeah, we'll mention that again before we wrap up today, and then, if you want to provide any other contact information, I think that would be great for those listening, and so what's some of your favorite stories, tina? From doing this, I mean, I would think that over 17 years, you've we have stories we love and some that we want to forget.

Speaker 3:

Um, you've, uh, we have stories we love and some that we want to forget. So, um, yeah, we did go viral one time for a little thing called brickyard brawl in kingsport, so everybody talks about that. So those are the things we don't want to have happen. Was that parents? Was it parents?

Speaker 3:

it was and they were not local teams, they were teams from out of this area and the two teams weren't even playing each other, but there was a little altercation, if you will, that went very viral. So actually the Today Show tried to get me on to talk about it and I declined them, christine. So they're not a Christine.

Speaker 2:

That's right, so you came to benchmark happiness.

Speaker 3:

Absolutely yes, so we could talk about good things. Yes, yes, Absolutely yes, so we can talk about good things. Yes, yes, you know, I think all of it's hard to kind of say what is some of the well, okay, I can give you one. Actually, it was just last year. James Ellis was the Parks and Rec director at Johnson City for years and he passed away I guess it might have been a year and a half ago. He was a very big advocate for these turf ball fields. So the very first tournament that we were able to have this past year on the turf ball fields, it poured the rain the night before. Every other probably every field was in the South. I said probably nobody was able to play except for us and there was a rainbow. I've got a picture of it. We had a rainbow at this event, Like it was almost like James was upstairs going. You know what? We're playing ball today. Yeah, You're playing ball.

Speaker 2:

You can thank me later, but thank me for those turf fields. So with a, that's that's a cool story. So with a turf field versus a regular field with dirt, what are some advantages of a turf field? Are there any disadvantages? I mean, I know the weather and the rain and things like that, but is there any difference in that type of?

Speaker 3:

field, very few disadvantage. I mean I can tell you we had events last year that monsooned the rain.

Speaker 1:

I mean literally.

Speaker 3:

I don't know that anybody between you know Northeast Tennessee, south Carolina, north Carolina were able to play but we would still get started at eight o'clock in the morning. You know some of the girls. It's funny to like our very first games that we had the turf, even when it's dry it's slick because it's turf.

Speaker 3:

So the girls, as they're sliding into bases, just kept on sliding. They're like wait, come back here, base. So we've laughed about that a lot. As the girls have learned sliding into the bases, the shoes are a little different On the dirt. A lot of the older girls like to wear the metal cleats on the dirt, but on the turf we don't allow the metal cleats because it'll tear up the turf.

Speaker 3:

So they do have to wear either tennis shoes or turf. So that's been a little bit of a got to make sure that everybody that comes in knows you can't wear the cleats Right, because you could tear it all to pieces. But, we communicate that to them up front in advance.

Speaker 3:

Outside of that there's the maintenance of them, which I don't necessarily do. That you know the Parks and Rec takes care of that. It's a little different in how they maintain the fields. They're not having to come in and lie on a field or having to keep up with that throughout the day, so we've loved that. You know, after about three ballgames usually the batter's boxes are gone on a dirt field. So on these we have batter's boxes all day long. So there's very few disadvantages, I guess, outside of just the upfront cost of these cities that are having to foot the bill for that. But it has been proven with the economic impact that they are profitable for them, absolutely.

Speaker 3:

And just a place for the kids to be able to come and play. I had a quote last year that I used over and over again Kids on fields is better than kids on the phone, right? So we want the kids on the ball field playing. So less rain outs means more kids are playing ball and not on their cell phones Absolutely.

Speaker 2:

That's great, because we know that these cell phones and children are getting them way too young, oh yeah, and it's causing so much anxiety. Yeah, I just I cringe when I see an eight-year-old with a cell phone, with an iPhone, just having that access to that much information. Yeah, to that much information. But I see that what you're doing, tina, you know you're really contributing to the community. You know developing camaraderie, helping people, and I mean the revenue, that's just. You know, like you said, that's just a gift, byproduct of what it is, but you're helping to build lasting memories and we always say here at Benchmark Happenings that people are dying to move here to East Tennessee.

Speaker 3:

Oh, absolutely, and I can tell you, I've been able to assist Johnson City, visit Johnson City and hosting three national tournaments here locally. Well, with the national tournaments, that's when you have these teams outside of the area from all different states coming in and it's really neat to hear them talk about gosh, look at the mountains, or how green everything is, because that's not the case everywhere. And when we had some of the teams were playing at Ridgeview and Gray, they all like to talk about the farmland on the way out to the ball field. You know. So people don't always see that. You know, in these, some of these other states, so it's been neat to be able to hear that. We kind of take parts of that for granted until you hear people outside of the area.

Speaker 2:

Come in and brag about how pretty it is. And you know, here off the Bristol Highway, we know we have where the ball fields are. You know Wingdeer Park. Wingdeer Park is beautiful.

Speaker 3:

I have so many sunrise. I always say Wingdeer Park has the best sunrise picture because the sunrise will come right up over, like where the park is, and above the mountains, and of course we're always there at dark so I always get to see. I see the sunrise in the morning and Boone's Creek School right now has one of the best sunsets and it's sitting right over the farmland behind their new school. Well, that's good information.

Speaker 2:

So all of you hikers out there that are into nature, so remember sunrise, wing Deer Park, sunset.

Speaker 3:

Boone's Creek, which is like the ridges area.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, the sunset's really pretty there. That is awesome. Have you ever seen? And Steve's been showing these videos to me lately and we're going to eventually get tickets to go see these people play the Savannah Bananas.

Speaker 1:

Yes, yeah, they are funny, oh my gosh.

Speaker 2:

So now that you know who I'm talking about, the tickets are insanely expensive.

Speaker 3:

Oh, I haven't priced them, but I'm sure they are.

Speaker 2:

There is a wait list to actually get there, and they're actually going to be in Nashville in a few weeks, but I was just thinking about the softball and the tournaments. If, at one point in time, if the girls could just break out and a song, come on and they just do a little dance routine.

Speaker 3:

Oh, they do that already. They have walk-up songs A lot of Most of them have their own walk-up songs and then a lot of times what we will see, especially before the championship games. They're all kind of getting ready. The younger girls, particularly the 10-year-olds and the 8-year-olds and 12-year-olds a lot of them will do their little line dance. You'll have both teams come out and do that in between the innings or whatever Last year.

Speaker 3:

So I have a Halloween tournament every year. We don't do it on Halloween, but we do it usually about the second week of October and I let the teams come in and dress up and they'll do their tents and we give away prizes for that. And a team actually dressed up like the Savannah Bananas last year how cool. And I did not know this. No one clued me in, but the coach and my umpire had kind of already gotten together ahead of time Like they were arguing during the game, which I thought was a real thing. I was like wait, wait, wait. What's going on? But they were doing it on purpose, so it was just part of the act. That was fun to see as well.

Speaker 2:

That's great. Well, I think that's fun and I haven't been to one of these softball tournaments. I need to come if they're going to be like.

Speaker 3:

Savannah.

Speaker 2:

Bananas.

Speaker 3:

I know.

Speaker 2:

Maybe if we could get the Savannah Bananas here to do an exhibition game for us, you know what We've got a high-end turf field. Absolutely. Well, maybe you work on that Absolutely. Yep, well, maybe you work on that, tina. I'm writing that down right now. I think that would be. You know, talk about, yeah, that would be. I mean, when I just watch them, I mean it makes me happy. Oh yeah, you know, you just laugh and you think how creative and the owner of that team has to be.

Speaker 1:

He's a genius basically, but I love what you're doing.

Speaker 2:

Tina, and I know I know you personally and I know your heart and your heart for people and and bringing people together and always wanting to provide a safe, absolutely Environment, fun environment bringing family. I love just the fact that.

Speaker 3:

And Mac is helping me with it. Now too, my husband and everybody loves Mac. Oh my gosh, If you all haven't met.

Speaker 2:

Mac and you all need to start your videos back again.

Speaker 3:

I know he is funny.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so Mac Tina's husband is probably one of the nicest men I have ever met, and he is everybody's favorite right, tina, even at the moment.

Speaker 3:

he's gotten so involved in my tournaments over the last few years. Now when I show up everybody goes where's Mac? We want Mac? Absolutely Nobody asks.

Speaker 2:

Mac. Where's Tina? That's the way it is with. Steve, but yeah, but he is so funny and I really enjoyed your videos. That and I know you do quite a bit on social media as well.

Speaker 3:

We do you just about have to in this day and time. But Mac makes it easier, like the content's not hard to chase after.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, licking the A1 bottle at the restaurant.

Speaker 3:

Oh yeah.

Speaker 2:

That's a classic? That is definitely a classic, and you just have to know Mac to really appreciate that video, and it was done on accident.

Speaker 3:

It makes you wonder how many other people have done it and didn't tell right. And he told on himself to the waitress he's like I can't put that back on the table.

Speaker 2:

To the waitress he's like I can't put that back on the table and I didn't have a purse to put it in, so didn't have a purse to put it in, so you had to. He had to tell on his self, didn't he? He did. Well, that sounds awesome, Tina, and I just you know. So let's, let's review again, like how can the website, how can people get in touch with you? The website, how?

Speaker 3:

can people get in touch with you? So I do have a Facebook page. I have Facebook which is Diamond Classic Fast Pitch of Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. We also have a Diamond Classic Fast Pitch is actually owned by Mr Chad Green out of Spartanburg, south Carolina. He also has the main page is Diamond Classic Fast Pitch Facebook page. I have a website for the local teams. He also has. The main page is Diamond Classic Fast Pitch Facebook page.

Speaker 3:

I have a website for the local teams. It's wwwtennesseesoftballcom. It's very easy to and my phone number is on there. Okay, there's not necessarily team information on there, but my phone number is on there and I can certainly get someone in touch with teams that are having tryouts, okay. And then we also have our main page is just DCfastpitchcom as well. So we're out there. We're not too hard to find. And then I would also say you know, if they're not ready, not everybody is ready to start at a travel ball level, not only from skill. But you know there's money involved in that too. You know they're paying for uniforms and hotel rooms.

Speaker 2:

When they're going out of town.

Speaker 3:

But if they're wanting to just start at the rec level, like, I said, here in Johnson City Parks and Rec has a phenomenal softball program, and then the Kingsport Parks and Rec. I know they have a pretty big program. I think Churchill has one. Just about every municipality around here, Wow.

Speaker 2:

Even. Bristol, I would think Bristol would have one.

Speaker 3:

Someone recently told me that just Bluff City has started one also and that they had like a couple hundred girls come out. So it is definitely. I can tell you this year I always look and see what age group has the most in it, for the year Will kind of tell me what is going to happen in the years to come with our program. And right now, so next weekend, I have a tournament here in Johnson City and have 17, 10 and under teams alone. That's unheard. I've never had that many 10 new teams. So that tells me that the growth of our program is going to be huge in the cause. That's the younger crowd, you know. So 17, 10 and under teams is enough to put at one park by themselves. So they're, they're booming at the seams right now.

Speaker 2:

So what's the youngest in in fast pitch?

Speaker 3:

So we start at eight and under eight and that is a coach pitch. So we actually have a coach pitches to those those little girls, okay. Then they move up to 10 and under and at 10 and under it's player pitch. So they've got, you know, these little girls are um, will graduate from eight and under to 10 and under and they're actually pitching and the you know, the batters are hitting off of a live picture as well. So we go 8U, 10u, 12u, 14u, 16u and 18U.

Speaker 2:

Wow, and then they go on to college.

Speaker 3:

And then hopefully they'll go on to college. And some says you know what I love my travel ball team, but I'm ready just to focus on academics and that's okay too.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely yeah, or they may end up. You know scholarships right.

Speaker 3:

Oh, absolutely. So last fall I think it was fall we had signing day like they always have signing days, and for, like the spring sports and the um so softball. When they had signing day for the spring sports and of course it was softball, baseball, all the other, whatever else, I just remember there was a list and I, when I looked at all the spring athletes that had gotten scholarships, softball was the number one sport For the athletes for that particular season. There was more scholarships than girls softball for the spring sports.

Speaker 2:

That is awesome.

Speaker 3:

I think that's a testament to our area around here it really is. We've got some great coaches. I think that's a testament to our area around here. It really is. We've got some great coaches. Umpires, listen. I've got to give them a little shout out too, because we don't say enough about the umpires. It's kind of a niche that has fallen off the wagon because we just don't have enough of them.

Speaker 1:

Every time.

Speaker 3:

I see a girl that's getting ready to graduate and they're not playing anymore. I try to get them to come back. An umpire, yes, yes.

Speaker 2:

We need more umpires. Okay, all right. So those of you out there, contact Tina if you want to ump a softball game?

Speaker 3:

Absolutely yes, we'll get them trained.

Speaker 2:

Tina, thank you for being on today.

Speaker 3:

Thank you, I appreciate it. I've learned so much. I love to talk about it and always love spending time with you, christine.

Speaker 2:

Yes, I love spending time with you, and also Tina is my inspiration for working out. So if you want tips, on getting healthy and building a fantastic physique. You can contact Tina.

Speaker 3:

She posts those videos too. I just follow instructions, Do what my trainer tells me.

Speaker 2:

Okay, well, we'll hope you come back and come back on the show with us after this season. Maybe we'll do another one to follow up. Yes, that would be great.

Speaker 3:

I appreciate it, okay, thanks, tina, thank you.

Speaker 1:

This has been Benchmark Happenings, brought to you by Jonathan Tipton and Steve Reed from Benchmark Home Loans. Jonathan and Steve are residential mortgage lenders. They do home loans in Northeast Tennessee and they're not only licensed in Tennessee but Florida, georgia, south Carolina and Virginia. We hope you've enjoyed the show. If you did make sure to like, rate and review. Our passion is Northeast Tennessee, so if you have questions about mortgages, call us at 423-491-5405. And the website is wwwjonathanandstevecom. Thanks for being with us and we'll see you next time on Benchmark Happenings.

People on this episode

Contributor

Christine Reed

Host
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Jonathan Tipton

Co-host
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Steve Reed

Co-host