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Wednesday, August 5, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Sisters athlete sets sights on ‘next level’
By tom Mauldin
Correspondent
Amanda Smith is discover-
ing how important extra effort
is.
She has seen it pay off dur-
ing her sophomore softball
season at Sisters High School
when she was named second-
team all-Sky-Em League.
Now she is putting in motion
a plan to see just how far that
extra work will take her.
“I’m now giving time out-
side of regular season prac-
tice,” said the six-foot Smith,
who pitches and plays first
base. “I’m taking private
(pitching) lessons, doing a lot
of drills and practices at home
on my own, and my goal is to
develop more as a pitcher, as
well as a player.”
Smith’s dream is to play
college softball and follow in
her father Dave’s footsteps
as a collegiate athlete. He
was a college defensive line-
man, and she knows to get to
that level requires more than
dreams. Hard work and a plan
of action are necessary to
reach the next level.
Smith is ready for the
challenge.
A month after the Outlaw
softball season ended, Smith
attended a Fastpitch Northwest
Prospect Evaluation Camp
(PEC) at Redmond High
School. She was one of
20 Central Oregon incom-
ing freshman to incoming
senior girls to be put through
a series of day-long tests
known as SPARQ (Speed,
Power, Agility, Reaction and
Quickness) and the NFCA
(National Fastpitch Coaches
Association) Comparatives.
“I want to become a more
control pitcher ... being con-
sistent,” said Smith as to why
the PEC was her next step. “I
want to play softball beyond
high school. I want to have
more confidence. Since I
started the private lessons, I
have a more serious aspect
about the sport. I am in the
developing stages of having
college options.”
It was a good decision for
Smith.
The SPARQ testing,
unveiled by Nike in 2004, tests
players on their foot speed,
shuttle quickness, vertical
jump and power ball throw.
The results go into a national
database and college coaches
can visit player profiles to
gather prospect information,
as well as track growth of
potential players.
The NFCA testing included
arm strength, home-to-first
and home-to-home speed, bat
speed (exit speed of the ball
coming off the bat) and pitch-
ing speeds.
The rest of the six-hour
evaluation included profes-
sionals rating player hit-
ting, fielding, throwing and
pitching.
Ken Olson, director of
Fastpitch Northwest, said
“it’s no secret, the stronger,
quicker and faster an athlete
becomes, the better on-field
performance they will have.
SPARQ is a great way for
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The goal for Smith and the
others around the Northwest
was to get invited to Fastpitch
NW’s College Exposure
Tournament held in Centrailia,
Washington.
And to her delight, Smith
was invited.
She was placed on a team
with players from around the
Northwest and Hawaii. They
played five games in three
days in front of 31 college
coaches.
“It was pretty scary the first
day,” admitted Smith. “I was
very nervous. Knowing that
I was playing in front of col-
lege coaches was very nerve-
wracking. The best part of the
Fastpitch Northwest tourna-
ment was playing with a team
I had never met before, and
by the second inning of the
first game it was like we had
known each other forever. It
is amazing how a common
goal can really bring a group
together. It really showed in
our performance.
“All the girls just met, and
I really didn’t know what to
expect,” added Smith. “But
being on a team where every-
one has the same passion as
you was amazing. Everybody
photo proviDeD
Amanda smith, third from left, is upping her game in softball.
was supportive of everyone
else because they know they
want the same thing. When
we got comfortable, we were
on fire.”
Smith was chosen to open
in the circle for her team of
new teammates and her ner-
vousness showed. She strug-
gled for two innings, but col-
lege coaches were noticing
“flashes of big potential.”
College of Idaho Head
Coach Al Mendiola nicknamed
Smith the “Baby Giraffe.”
“Once it all develops, well,
let’s just says she is going to
be very impressive,” Mendiola
said. “What’s not to like?
She’s doing things the right
way and loves the game.”
Day 2 went much better for
Smith (five shutout innings
and nine strikeouts). And in
each game, a few more college
coaches were taking notes.
Day 3 of the tournament
was another step in the pro-
cess and she finished the tour-
nament with 16 strikeouts in
nine-plus innings.
Smith is now on the radar
of college coaches.
“It was a great experience,”
said the left-handed pitcher.
Smith, who is the daughter
of David and Michelle Smith,
is a relatively young pitcher.
Prior to moving to Sisters
from Santa Rosa, California,
in 2012, she pitched on a
youth travel team, but took a
few years off and did not play
her freshman year at Sisters
due to family health issues.
“I didn’t play as a fresh-
man, but (I’m) glad I did as
a sophomore,” said Smith. “I
love Sisters High School. It is
amazing.”
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