Comments from Rachel’s biggest fans

From Joe,

Her Dad:

I am very proud of Rachel, not just for all of the years sticking with baseball and practicing

hard, but also for her courage. We tried to talk her into playing Softball knowing that we could possibly have a battle ahead of us if she went out for the BOYS baseball team. But she stuck with her convictions, and is standing up for herself, what she believes, and other girls that may find themselves in a similar situation. I fully support Rachel in this effort.

 

For much of my childhood, all the way into my twenties, I played baseball; Little League,

High School, College, and a little beyond. I was one of those kids that fell in love with

the game of baseball; the smells and sounds when you walk into a pro stadium, that was Dodger stadium for me as a kid, the gentle roar in the stadium that at any moment could erupt into an earth shaking roar as a ball flys over the home run fence, the smell of the grass your first practice of the season, the anxious feeling the couple months before your first practice, the feeling when you strike the last batter of the game out with a high and tight fastball, with some heat on it, just after throwing a curve ball on the outside corner, picking a runner off of first base when leading off too far, knocking in the winning run in the ninth inning on a hit and run, the feeling in the deepest part of your soul that one day you would like to run out on the field in Dodger stadium, and take your position for the next inning, and the wonderous things that could all happen after that.

 

The large majority of kids that have this dream will never play on a professional team. It's

not achieving the dream that is important, it's having the dream, and having a small chance,

no matter how small, that it could happen. Dreams like this are not and should not be for one gender or the other, but for anyone who dares to have the dream.

 

During any of my childhood years, if someone had told me that I had to play softall instead

of baseball, my dreams, my heart, my soul would have been shattered. For those that truelly know and love the game, I can say that the two games, baseball and softball, are completely different. For someone that has never loved baseball or softball, the two games may appear, on the outside, to be the same, but they are not. The size of the fields, the distance between bases, the distance that a pitcher pitches, the motion that a pitcher uses, the types of pitches that a pitcher throws, the way a runner can or cannot lead off of a base, the way a runner can steal a base or the pitcher can attempt to pick them off, the type of bat a batter uses, the types of gloves that the players use, the type of ball used in the games, and the over all strategy, among many other differences, are all things that are different between the two sports. The history between the two games is substantially different, and the opportunities that exist in either sport, to further or extend your level of play, are not even remotely the same.

 

If a girl is good enough to play with the boys, is it fair for a dream such as Rachel's to be

squashed at the age of 11, before she really even has a chance to see how far she can take it, simply because she is a girl?

 

Schools, of all places, are suppose to teach ambition, encourage dreams, teach about fairness, human rights, and teach us to stand up for our rights and beliefs. Yet, we still have schools that want to place kids in well defined boxes, categories, based on gender, age, size, and in some places still race. What makes us amazing as human beings is not what box we are placed in, but rather what about each of us takes us out of those boxes, makes us unique, makes us diverse and interesting, and gives us a passion for life. It is this of which our dreams and direction for society are defined.

 

So, do I understand how Rachel feels? Yes, some of it, the love of baseball, the dream. But, I am not a woman and have never been discriminated against. So, can I understand how that feels? No, but I do know, with everything that I am, what she has experienced is wrong!

 

Again, I am very proud of Rachel for standing up for her rights regardless of what may be thrown her way...She knows that this could get very difficult, but is being very strong about the whole thing. I am also very proud of her mom for taking on this battle, and doing a lot of work in a short period of time to attempt getting the ruling changed. And, I am also very proud of the rest of our kids, 7 total, family and friends for standing up for Rachel and all pitching in, and helping, in anyway that they can.

From Heather:

Rachel is my daughter Sonja's Best Friend and a lovely young girl. Being as both Rachel and her mother were told she would be allowed to play on the ''baseball'' team and there would be NO problems I don't see why there presently is a problem with her playing NOW!!! Obviously the baseball coach felt she was an asset to the team so what's the problem, she was chosen on merit not because she was a girl, so why not let her play?!!!! The whole thing is ridiculous, I thought that this country is supposed to be past all discrimination, and be an equal opportunity place to live!!!! If any help is needed just let us know!! SUPPORT A YOUNG GIRLS DREAM!!!

From Charles:

Rachel is a talented athlete. She made the cut. Before any meetings were held to decide the political gravity of the situation, she made the team. A bunch of ball players went out on a field, PLAYED hard and some of those ball players were chosen to be on a team. Rachel was one of them. Tryouts are to decide who's got the talent. NOWHERE on the coach's clipboard does it say; STEP 1: MAKE SURE EVERYONE'S CUP IS FULL.

From Marci:

 

Rachel I'm here to support your efforts. As a previous softball player I can honestly say the two sports are nowhere near the same. And as a professional I can say that discrimination is against the law, that's why women burned their bras and stood up for all of us to have the same rights as men....HAVE WE MOVED BACK TO THE STONE AGE? I would have hoped that as a woman your principal would have stood up for you but as we can all see she is a part of the problem not the solution. Take it to court the law is set and they can't change it now.

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These are some of the greatest people I’ve met in the area.