maroon monkeys

as much as we often want to, we can't stop time. at best, we can only capture moments. until the day comes when doc brown builds a time machine out of a delorean, we'll have to depend on our cameras to provide windows to the past. time continues to march on, as it does, and another softball season is winding down here in san diego. just like last spring, 2009 greeted rain with a wonderful twist of fate by getting her on yet another team with amazing team mates, incredible coaches, great parents, and awesome family members. our softball ohana this spring was the maroon monkeys.

since there are only a couple games left we thought we'd show some of the highlights from this awesome season. we'll start you off with a couple quick slideshows, then introduce you to the team.

here's part 1 of 2. don't forget to turn on your speakers for the full experience :)

who's up for round 2?!

i'll give you parents a minute or two to compose yourselves :)

and now, make some noise for your 2009 maroon monkeys!!!
batting first, team mascot... roooooooney!

the official team pup is daisy. like the flower, not the duke :)

parents, here is your starting lineup.

amanda - princess, of falling :)
amanda holds the record for collecting the most dirt off the field (in her uniform). even though she get's dirty, she's still a girly girl and is always fun to be around.

anna - smiley.
anna is sweeter than pie and always has a smile on her face. she even smiled when she was injured :) wherever anna goes, fun follows. she was such a joy to be around this season. we hope she comes back next season. the game wouldn't be the same without her.

brianna - speedy mcsweet-tooth.
briannas's secret weapon... sugar. she uses the power of the snicker to crush softballs into the outfield and speed around the bases like the flash. it took us almost the whole season, but brianna finally let down her guard and let us take her picture without having to shoot ninja style. brianna plays softball with the passion of a major leaguer, and we love her for it.

destiny - shy girl.
i'm not completely sure, but i think destiny's glove said more to me this season than she did. she was shy whenever the camera was in her sights, but when she was distracted by the play at hand she let her guard down and she let her skills do all the talking. what do destiny and michael jordan have in common? they play best with their tongue sticking out :)

eden - diamond diva.
eden is the stylish one of the bunch. even when she was sliding in the dirt she did it with style. yes, she's that good. i think we all learned a few fashion tips from her this season. oh yeah, she can play too. i don't know what her on-base percentage was, but it was up there.

jordyn - little big hurt.
jordyn's skills put a hurting on every team she plays against. jordyn was lucky enough to have her mom, the magnificent kelly, coaching the maroon monkeys this season. (more on her later.) that may be part of the reason jordyn is so driven, but i think most of her drive comes from just loving to play and win. she's one of the best all-around players in the league and her awesome skills are matched only by her outstanding attitude. watch for jordyn on an upcoming olympic team.

sometimes i wish softball had instant replay. like the time when this ump called this runner safe in a close game. cameras don't miss calls :)

leiloa - the ace with aloha.
lele is not only one of the best pitchers in the league, she also crushes softballs to the moon. lele lives aloha. she has a kind heart and a smile that lights up the whole field. it's no wonder lele is the way she is though. her parents, aina and peachie, are two of the most extremely supportive parents we have ever met. they were super positive with everyone. more about them below. keep your eyes peeled for lele in an upcoming olympics too. she'll be the one wearing the gold medal.

lele's always ready to pounce :)

don't blink or you'll miss one of lele's 6 pitches.

this is a regular sight whenever lele pitches.

as an added bonus, lele's brother xavier played his ukulele at the field a few times during practice and games. his ukulele skills are awesome! whenever it was cold we just closed our eyes and dreamed we were on kaena point. nothing beats playing softball while hearing a ukulele. i think that may have been one of the girl's secret weapons for success this year. shhh. don't tell any of the other teams.

marcella - the softball ninja.
if we were to hand out an award for most improved player this year it would go to marcella. she was all quiet and stealthy and snuck up on everyone with her incredible skills. great job marcella!

merlanja - comic relief.
merlanja joined us late in the season and immediately fit right in. she always had a positive attitude and a warm smile. she knew when to goof around and when to get serious. we're so glad she joined the team and made positive contributions both on the field and in the dugout.

monique - left side, strong side.
monique is the team's resident lefty. she has a swing like ken griffey jr and a wonderful smile like her dad's. monique is always so focused. she doesn't just hit the ball, she ropes it. moni is also one of the best catchers in the league. she threw out more base runners than i can count. moni is a professional in every sense. she always has something positive to say and follows it up with her patented smile. i would not be surprised if i saw moni with a gold medal some day too.

natalie - mighty mini.
there's one in every league. a player that gets passed over by almost everyone because people think they're too small to play. the chargers have darren sproles. the maroon monkeys have natalie. and play she can. she packs a lot of punch in her tiny frame. don't even think of pitching anywhere near her strike zone because she'll punch that ball into the outfield and not stop running until she scores. we absolutely adore her HUGE smile and GINORMOUS spirit.

rain - ball magnet
coach chuck said rain is tough. how tough is she? let's just say that early in the season rain decided she could hit better without a bat, so that's just what she did.
twice.
she got beaned twice this year. you'd think that would be enough, but you'd be wrong.
her ball magnet skills struck again when she failed to keep her eyes on the ball during practice and took a line drive throw to the bread basket while she was playing third with a runner on base. the best part was, the runner didn't advance because after the ball made a thud heard round the field it fell into her glove that just happened to be opened and slightly below her waist. the girl got skills :)
we love you rain, but please keep your eyes on the ball!!!

rain made us proud when she asked to play catcher. she did a great job. it's so neat seeing her all suited up like i used to be when i was a catcher.

my ojos aren't too good. is that a member of nsync playing left? nice visor rain :)

jordyn's mom kelly, along with her dad dave (not pictured here), are both amazing coaches. dave coaches jordyn's younger sister cassidy. together, kelly and dave are the dynamic duo of coaching. their knowledge and positive attitude helped the maroon monkeys be among the league's elite.
kelly, you were just what rain needed. coming into this season she wasn't quite sure if she wanted to ever play again, but you brought back her love for the game and made this team feel like a family.
dave, thank you for stopping by as much as you did in between practice and games for your own team to share your knowledge with these girls.
every team should be blessed to have coaches like the two of you. you have both improved the lives and attitudes of so many girls in this league. as parents we can never thank you enough. please know that what you do and who you are is very much appreciated.

natalie's dad, my (pictured in the background) chalks a line like no other. when he's not helping on the field he's helping off the field, and he always has a smile on his face. thank you for all you do.

coach katie is to coach kelly what guacamole is to rolled tacos. they work so well together. katie was hard, fair, and fun. whenever the girls started getting off course, katie was there to steer them back. a.k.a. send them on a run to panama and back :)
she was also the first to praise the girls when they were doing things right. katie, from coaching, to giving signs, to providing us with great images like this one, we think you do things right. for that we thank you.

i'm not a player. i just crush a lot :)
monique's dad, coach chuck, gave rain, and every other girl on this team, more help than he knows. he is THE best hitting coach in the league and we are so glad he took time out of his busy schedule to help this team.
because of you these girls play better today than they ever have.
because of you these girls will never let another ball go under their glove and through their legs. :)
thank you chuck, for all you do. semper fi!

coach angelo, you kept everyone smiling. even when you made the girls run in practice, you almost always ran with them and you always kept them motivated. you were such a pleasure to be around. thank you for always keeping things fun.

lele's mom, peachie, always had words of encouragement to help the girls get motivated. she is honestly the nicest person on the planet. she makes everyone around her feel like part of her ohana.
peachie, mahalo for your kindness, and for always keeping the girls focused and fired up.

we also want to thank lele's dad, aina, a.k.a. the best pitching coach in the league. it's not bragging if it's the truth :) you did an incredible job keeping our pitchers in perfect form. you motivated them to be the best they could be. you have the patience of a saint, and a heart of gold. thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and for giving the girls the confidence and skills they need to be champions.

hope did an amazing job as team mom. thank you for keeping us all on the same page and for being the mom of this big softball ohana.

here are some shots of our sugar induced girls at the team party. hopefully they come down from their sugar rush before the last couple games start :)

as the sun sets on this season we want to send a huge mahalo out to all the players, coaches, families, and friends that helped to make this season as wonderful as it was. you all made kim, april, rain, and i very happy to be part of this team. this game needs people like you to keep it fun. we are proud to call you all friends and welcome you into our extended ohana. a special thank you to all the players for reminding rain what team mates are supposed to be like. you all made softball fun again. for that, we are more grateful than we can possibly ever express. coaches, thank you for all the knowledge and love for the game you shared. we know you all have busy lives and could be doing endless other things, so we definitely appreciate every minute you shared with these amazing young athletes.
mahalo!!!