Former Lumber Girls take trip down Memory Lane
By AARON DORKSEN; AARON DORKSEN | |
Proquest LLC |
Many of the women, now in their 60s and 70s, hadn't seen each other in 40 or more years.
After starting as the
Carter, who owned Wooster Lumber and is a member of the
People came from far and wide to attend the reunion. Eleven former players were in attendance:
A number of others who were associated with the team also were on hand, including late sponsor
The women came from all over
"I think it's great to have this," said Young, who played second base on the team in the late 1960s and was nicknamed "Mole" for the diving efforts she often made to catch balls. "Most of these women I haven't seen in 45 years.
"I loved to play softball back then. I hardly ever went home with a clean uniform."
Houseman, who attended North Canton Hoover and still lives in
"This is awesome, I'm glad
"I was able to play softball from coast to coast -- from
Although Carter Sr.'s WCSHOF bio states that the Lumber girls won three national titles, none of the women on hand recalled winning one.
However, just getting to the National Women's ASA Tournament was an outstanding achievement.
Stine, known as a speedy outfielder who played from age 12 to 30, recalled showdowns in nationals with teams such as Raybestos from
"We played against
"To get everyone together again is pretty neat."
The glory years of the Lumber Girls came before Title IX was passed in 1972, which opened the day for modern day women's athletics.
Juersevich remembered getting her nose broken by an errant throw in warmups and worrying her mom wouldn't let her play softball anymore.
"I was Suzi's catcher," Juersevich said. "Those were great years."
Asked what she remembered from playing in the 1960s, Hart joked, "Being able to do it, which I can't now. It was just a fun group to be a part of."
Trail blazers
The Lumber Girls could be considered pioneers in many ways.
"I think we missed out on some things in our time," Houseman said. "If schools offered scholarships back then, a lot of us would have earned them. It could have sent us on some different courses in our lives, but it is what it is. I think we helped set the stage for what women's sports are today, helping to keep them alive."
Sapp, a WCSHOF member, is still proud of being named an All-Ohio women's shortstop twice in the early 1960s.
"I wish I could still play," Sapp said with a smile. "I did all the sports I could, like softball, bowling and golf.
"This is a great thing today, it's like a high school class reunion in which you don't recognize people at first. I'm blessed to be here as a 20-year cancer survivor."
Sapp marvelled at the many ups and downs of women's sports during the 20th century.
"My grandma was born in 1903 and she was on a high school basketball team, but when I went to
Bower recalled how limited the opportunities were at Northwestern, where the girls in intramural basketball had to play half-court.
"Only a 'roving' forward was able to play on both sides of the court before Title IX," said Bower, a pitcher outfielder in 1967-68 and 1973-75. "Being on (the Lumber Girls) allowed us to travel all over."
Supporting cast
More than just former players were moved to show up for the reunion, showing how much the Lumber Girls meant to the community.
After seeing a
"My father worked for Wooster Lumber for 22 years until it closed in 1972," said
"I've always wondered what happened to some of them and it was great to see them. I was pretty surprised that a couple of them even recognized me."
Smetzer recalled a funny story about a team from
"It was a little cold, probably in the 60s, but nothing anyone here would worry about," Smetzer said. "
Although
"I was about their age back then," said Carter Jr. "I remember what great players they were and the fan support. We drew a lot of fans. There were actually three fields at the Fairgrounds at one time -- the high school baseball field, softball field and a Little League Field."
After Carter Sr. sold Wooster Lumber to his brother Warren, who owned
Houser, 65, is a proud alumnus of
"I remember the Lumber Girls playing against
In addition to reporting on the Lumber Girls, Houser recalled helping out as an announcer at games and even hitting them fly balls during warmups on occasion.
Houser started working for The DR while in high school and former publisher
Houser said there's no way he wanted to miss attending what's believed to be the first reunion of the Lumber Girls. He helped re- tell their story yesterday by looking up facts in some of his old stories that were displayed, which chronicled a team that sometimes played in front 1,000 or more fans at the
Although the Wooster Lumber Girls playing days are long gone, the 2014 reunion shows they're clearly not forgotten.
Copyright: | (c) 2014 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved. |
Wordcount: | 1438 |
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News