***On August 22 Monica was awarded the 2012 NPF Pitcher of the Year.
Monica Abbott needs no introduction, 2011 Championship Series MVP for the Champion Chicago Bandits, she has been everywhere and done everything when it comes to softball! I was lucky enough to be able to chat it up with Monica after Saturday nights game...
Chicago Bandits Pitcher Monica Abbott on...
...softball being left out of the Olympics.
"Olympics are such an amazing experience. So many great athletes deserve a chance to play in the Olympics. Unfortunately for softball, you try to pick 15-18 of the top players, and they took even those top 15 away from us. There's nothing any more heartbreaking than not being able to do anything about it. It's not like I can go and sign 1,000 petitions for it to come back. Softball was a sport that was in its infancy in the Olympics, only being in four games. The sport has had so much growth and we can't control the politics of the games but luckily for us we have the NPF. We're going to be able to help grow it and make sure it's going strong."
...progress to get back in the Olympics.
"We don't really have a lot on our plate now, we're obviously out in 2012, 2016 we're out. Our next chance is for 2020 and our biggest hope is that the games go to a country that is strong in softball like America, Venezuela, China, Japan, Canada...that would be the hope there."
(Madrid, Istanbul and Tokyo are the three candidate cities for 2020. Toyko seems to be the front runner with Istanbul a close second. The 125th IOC Session in Beunos Aires will vote on whether on not to include one more sport from the following list; baseball, karate, roller sports, softball, sport climbing,squash, wakeboarding, washu and beach soccer.)
...how she's feeling this year.
"I think the team in general we started off really strong, we went on a nice run early in the season then we hit our mid-season slump. Now we're just climbing and stretching back out of it. Hopefully we just keep fighting all the way through the end.
...where the team stands heading into the Championship Series.
"We hit rock bottom, we hit a little losing streak. Now we're just trying to come together, trying to enjoy the game and enjoy the moment, and bring when we need to in those big moments."
...being a face of NPF and softball.
"To me it's more of a joy, to be able represent kids and the future of this sport is my lifetime dream and goal. I always knew I was gonna be a softball player. When God blesses you with something so great it's your duty to share it with others."
@monicaabbott
@npfbandits
@profastpitch
@HOFhuddle
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