BY CORIES BEARDSLEY AND DAMIEN ACEVEDO | After a long winter of indoor practices, the NYC Rush 12U team, headed by their two coaches, Corie Beardsley and Mary Beth Wallis, got outdoors last week to practice as a team. The 70-degree was not a bad way to ease outdoors in March for Manhattan’s only girls fast-pitch softball tournament travel team.
Our young squad — made up of 11- and 12-year-olds — participated in one tournament this winter. On President’s Day, Mon., Feb 15, we ventured up to the Danbury Sports Dome in Connecticut. The forecast of snow resulted in the games being pushed up to an earlier start than planned and shortened games. We had a rough start, but by the fourth and final game started to see the team come together a bit.
It was most of the girls’ first tournament ever! They worked hard and learned a lot. At the tournament’s end, they each were able to speak to something they were proud of that they did and what they thought they could work on. We are so proud of the girls, and excited to get them on the field to start practicing as a team in anticipation of our first spring tournament on April 9!
Girls are scheduled into at least seven tournaments over April, May and June. These are mostly USSSA tournaments in New Jersey. The NYC Rush team is comprised of girls from Midtown East, Stuyvesant Town, the East Village, Lower East Side, the Bronx, Financial District and Battery Park City. Many of them play for their middle school and local Little League teams as well.
They are practicing twice a week as a team and enlisting private batting, positioning and pitching lessons on their off days. The team’s trainer, Renae Beauchman, is from California and played softball at Long Island University, a Division 1 school. She trains our girls in hitting, defense and situational plays.
And don’t forget Damien Acevedo, the team photographer!
For more about NYC Rush, visit their new Web site at https://www.nycfastpitch.com/home.
