All-Female Grounds Crew Takes the Field at 2022 Little
All-Female Grounds Crew Takes the Field at 2022 Little: The 2022 Little League Softball® World Series (LLSWS), which was held in Greenville for the second time, was packed with excitement as a result of the exceptional performance of the 12 teams that competed in the tournament.
Nevertheless, it was the players who were cheering throughout the last days of activity. They were recognizing a group of sixteen volunteers who made history in the 48-year history of the series: an All-Female Grounds Crew.
“I was like, ‘wait a minute, we’re meant to be cheering you on,'” said Sun Roesslein, who helped arrange the women volunteers for the LLSWS from among the Sports Field Management Association. Roesslein is a member of the Sports Field Management Association. “This is one of the first instances that anything like this has ever happened in the world of athletics, and to get the opportunity to be a part of it is, I can’t even find the words to describe it. It’s impossible to put into words.
After approaching Chris Ball, a member of the LLSWS Committee who is responsible for organising the ground crew, in January regarding it, Ms. Roesselin assisted in putting it together with his assistance. Although Mr. Ball himself participated in Little League games played at Stallings Stadium, the presence of female groundskeepers is a very recent addition to the LLSWS location, with the exception of one individual.
The one and only female member of the grounds crew for the 2021 Softball World Series was Cheryl Miller. She was the lone female member of the team. For the past ten years, Ms. Miller has been employed by Little League to take care of the facilities located in Warner Robbins, Georgia, which serve the Southeast region. Prior to that, she was the head of the grounds crew for the Little League Baseball® World Series, which was held in South Williamsport, the town in which she had grown up.
Statements
“Nobody in this crew ever believed in their lifetime that they would see exclusively ladies out there taking care of a field,” Ms. Miller said. “Nobody ever dreamed that would happen in their lifetime.” “It has a significant impact on them, and it causes them to become upset.
All of us have some sort of emotional investment in this matter. This is a very important endeavour for us, and we are all aware that it is quite unique; despite this, our primary goal is to maintain its momentum and ensure that it does not end. It is an honour to be out here with all of these women, and it is also an honour to be able to do something for these girls.”
According to Ms. Roesselin, groundskeeping is a gratifying occupation, but most people don’t realise it because when they arrive at the venue, the effort of preparing the field has already been done. As a result of this, there was an increased amount of motivation to convey this historically significant idea, in particular, to the LLSWS.
According to Miller had to say, “We want to show these girls that you can do anything.” You come out here and perform these duties, and maybe when your softball career is over, you can still be involved. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from. Since many of these young ladies have previously participated in softball, they see this as a means to maintain their involvement and maintain their connection to the sport.
There is a vast spectrum of experience within this category, ranging from a woman who is a high school senior all the way up to women who have worked in the sector for decades. They also come from all over the country, some from as far away as the western states of Colorado, Nevada, and Arizona. Some of the locals live within driving distance of the venue.
Both Ms. Miller and Ms. Roesselin expressed the hope that this will increase the visibility of their field and the proportion of women who choose to pursue careers in it. In addition to that, they have high hopes of participating in it once more the following year.
Miller referred to this moment in time as “only the beginning for us.”