COVERING THE BASES; OLYMPIAN SOFTBALL PLAYER HOLDS CLINIC.Byline: Annette Bailey Daily News Staff Writer When Barbara Jordan Barbara Charline Jordan (February 21, 1936 – January 17, 1996) was an American politician from Texas. She served as a congresswoman in the United States House of Representatives from 1973 to 1979. Early life and career Jordan was born in Houston's Fifth Ward to Rev. was a youngster growing up in Northridge 25 years ago, she wasn't particularly interested in Barbie dolls or Easy Bake Ovens. She preferred playing softball softball, variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Invented (1888) in Chicago as an indoor game, it was at various times called indoor baseball, mush ball, playground ball, kitten ball, and, because it was also played by women, ladies' with a group of neighborhood boys. Over the years, her interest in the game progressed from the days of games with the neighborhood guys to participating as a member of the Cal State Northridge softball team, and then being selected as an alternate on the 1996 U.S. Olympic softball team. Today, she's the girls' head softball coach at Westlake High School Westlake High School may refer to:
In the early hours of Monday morning, despite temperatures in the low 40s, 121 girls, wearing a range of clothes - heavy sweat pants, sweat shirts, ski caps, to even a few clad in summer shorts - got down to the business of learning softball. The skills taught started with the fundamentals: throwing, hitting, catching, running and sliding. The camp targeted girls playing in recreational and travel leagues and those interested in learning the key fundamentals to a technically successful game. ``I love it because when I was growing up there was no one really to teach me other than my dad, and the fundamentals weren't really dealt with. It was only based on athletic ability and little else,'' said Jordan. Heading up softball clinics and lessons throughout the Conejo Valley The Conejo Valley is a region spanning both Southeastern Ventura County and Northwest Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States. It was discovered in 1542 by Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, and eventually became part of the Rancho El Conejo land grant by and the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. is nothing new to Jordan, but this is the first year for the softball camp. ``The interest in women's softball has increased substantially in the past five years, and now that softball is considered an Olympic sport, it's grown even more,'' she said. Jordan is assisted by several other softball coaches, including University of Michigan (body, education) University of Michigan - A large cosmopolitan university in the Midwest USA. Over 50000 students are enrolled at the University of Michigan's three campuses. The students come from 50 states and over 100 foreign countries. assistant coach Jennifer Brundage, University of Washington's assistant coach Jennifer Cline cline, in biology, any gradual change in a particular characteristic of a population of organisms from one end of the geographical range of the population to the other. , and Stanford University's assistant coach Sara Pickering. Pickering patiently lobbed softballs to a group of 12 young women eagerly absorbing all the game know-how they could, despite feeling the obvious winter chill Track listing Disc one
``I have knowledge about the game, and I feel it can help these girls get better fundamentally, improve their game and ultimately become better ball players,'' Pickering said. Lorian Jenkins, 15, has played in several traveling leagues for the past decade and already is charting an athletic career path. ``I want to play in college, and eventually go to the Olympics - that's what I really want to do more than anything,'' said Jenkins. Some younger participants aren't as interested in forging a career plan, they just enjoy the game, and want to learn more about it. ``I like softball and I've played for two years, and I wanted to learn more,'' said 7-year-old Julia Rice. Jordan says the camp not only teaches the girls to work hard, but ultimately gives them something much more important. ``It's good for them, whatever their goals are, and teaches them to work hard, as well as giving them self-confidence, now and in later life,'' said Jordan. CAPTION(S): 3 Photos PHOTO (1--Color) Barbara Jordan, a member of the 1996 Olympic softball team and coach at Westlake High, shows proper hitting technique Monday. (2--Color) Ryane Montes mon·tes n. Plural of mons. , 13, smacks a ball one-armed fashion at a three-day softball clinic for girls Monday at Westlake High School's baseball field. (3) Susie Parra, an assistant coach at Cal State Fullerton, shows Ciara Zeolla, 6, how to grip a bat. Michael Owen
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