Under Armour All-America High School Softball Game

This week I went to Florida for the Under Armour
High School All-America Softball Game run by ESPN Rise.
We were in Orlando and the game was played at the Walt
Disney World Fields. When we arrived Sunday night, we
were given a bunch of Under Armour gear (love it!).
There were 30 girls (split into teams of 15) for the game
and I was one of the coaches. I attended the inaugural
event last year and was excited to work with such top
talent again. We changed into our Under Armour outfits
(polos and shorts) and headed to Opening Ceremonies.
They had speakers, music, Mickey and the best part
were the fireworks at the end! After a great dinner,
we called it a night. The next morning we went to the
fields for practice and for focus groups. Under Armour
wants feedback from up and coming athletes about their
product. In the afternoon we had a couple hours at a
theme park (I went with a bunch of the girls to Hollywood
Studios and rode the Rockin Rollercoaster). That night
we had another dinner with Under Armour, ESPN Rise and the
team. I spoke to the girls that night at dinner about my
experiences and how they can continue to be the future of
our sport. Lovie Jung (my Olympic Teammate in 2004 and
2nd Baseman in 2008) flew in for the game and came to dinner.
At the game she was a celebrity coach, so it was fun to
visit with her.
Tuesday was game time! The game was taped and will air
on Saturday on ESPNU. The analysts for the game were
Michele Smith (my teammate in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics)
and Garland Cooper (Northwestern superstar). It's a great
experience for these young athletes to be on TV playing the
sport they love. Many of them will be at Division I Colleges
next year and we may see them again on TV at the Women's
College World Series. My team lost 2-0 on two home runs.
After the games we headed to Epcot Center for dinner and front
row seats for the firework show over the water. It was
a busy 3 days, but I enjoyed it so much. The event was
top notch. Under Armour and ESPN take pride in the work
that they do and it will impact these girls for a long time!

We all were meeting for the first time!

Opening Ceremonies

Mickey came out on stage at Opening Ceremonies
(Too bad my kids weren't there!)

Under Armour Focus Groups

(The girls on our way to Hollywood Studios)

In front of the Rockin' Rollercoaster at Hollywood Studios
(It's the one ride I went on)

Coaching Staff: Mary, Me, Skeeter and Garland Cooper (ESPN Rise)

Michele Smith taking a minute to smile for the camera

Visiting with former teammate, Lovie Jung

ESPNU Commentators: Garland Cooper, Mike Gleason and
Michele Smith (my former Olympic Teammate)

Posing with some players from my team: Undeniable