August 14, 2015 at 4:54 p.m.
Sun, sand and softball
Brianna Gilbert takes part in tournament in Dominican Republic
Sun, sand and softball
Gilbert was one of a handful of girls from around the Midwest to be selected to be part of a team that toured the Dominican Republic July 27 to Aug. 2.
The trip was organized by American International Sports Teams and Gilbert made the squad following a tryout last summer.
In an email to the River News, Gilbert said playing softball in a foreign land was a unique experience.
"Their way playing is a little different than ours," she explained. "There are people walking on the field all the time. Players talking to people in the crowd. And the girls make music in the dugout and dance all the time. (It's) a little strange."
Gilbert's team went 1-4 on the trip, playing twice in the group's first full day in the Dominican, July 28, twice more the following day and once more after that.
Though Gilbert was a unanimous first-team All-Great Northern Conference pitcher this spring, she did not see an inning in the circle in the Dominican. An injury prevented her from pitching, but she was still able to participate in the field and at the plate.
"The week before (the trip) I popped my collarbone out while pitching in a tournament," she explained. "(I) didn't want to hurt my arm any more. I played third well and batted pretty good. Out of all five games I only struck out four times and I batted up to four times per games. (I played) pretty good I'd say, almost better than the season - which is weird because (the pitchers) were pretty fast down there."
There was plenty of time for sightseeing. Gilbert explained that the group had plenty of free time on the beach following their games. On the third day of the trip, the team visited the underground caves at Three Eyes.
"They were really pretty and there was some neat history on that as well," Gilbert said.
The following day the group toured Colonial Island and, on its last full day in the Dominican, the group enjoyed a sun-filled boat ride to the Saona Islands.
"The boat ride was 1 (hour) and 30 (minutes) long," Gilbert explained. "Let's just say a lot of people got burnt no matter how much sunscreen you put on."
One of the highlights of the trip, Gilbert said, was holding a softball clinic with a group of local residents. It was during that time she realized the socioeconomic divide between the United States and the Dominican Republic.
"They knew more than I thought they would (about softball) they just don't have any equipment for them to play," she said. "It was fun we ended up playing a mini game against them. After we presented them with all the softball equipment and clothes, hats and food that we brought for them, they were very grateful."
Gilbert said the signs of poverty in the Caribbean nation that shares an island with Haiti were hard to ignore.
"Seeing the way they live down there totally changes how one looks at things," she said. "We have little things that we take for granted and don't realize how lucky we are (until) we don't have it any more. They don't have the same septic system as the U.S. so we had to throw our toilet paper in the garbage when we were done with it. Not fun. They also don't follow traffic laws, having no (blood-) alcohol (limits) for driving, so there are many accidents and deaths. Also there is so much garbage everywhere. It was hard to see everyday."
Gilbert said the majority of her teammates were from Wisconsin and Minnesota and it didn't take long for the players to make friendships.
"We made a lot of good memories," she said. "It was easy to get along with them. The last day we were sad to leave one another. Right now I have two group chats with all of them and we talk daily. The last day we were exchanging phone numbers and social media apps to keep in touch. Some of the girls I have actually played against in softball and my other sports so I already had somewhat of a relationship with them."
Overall, Gilbert said the trip was a wonderful experience.
"Just being able to play with new people in a new place with a awesome coach is one thing I am never going to forget," she said. "Of course, lying on the beach and having a good time is fun, but nothing can compare to all that I have learned and made relationships with the players and our coach."
Gilbert had to raise roughly $3,500 to pay her way to the Dominican Republic. She held a couple of fundraising events along the way and said she would have never made the trip without the support of her family and local businesses.
"Fundraising went pretty good," she said. "I had a car wash the Saturday before I left and I got a lot from there. (RHS softball head) coach (D.J.) DeMeyer donated $100 and many other people donated a lot that day.
"(I) just want give a special thanks to my parents, my brother Tyler Pyrchalla, grandparents Cliff and Karen Zettler, ABX, Ripco, Rhinelander Toyota, coach DeMeyer, Berry and Sherry Scheuermann, and everyone that helped me to make this happen."
Gilbert will be attending Carroll University in Waukesha in the fall where she plans to major in accounting and minor in business management. She said she intends to try out for the school's softball team this September.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.