Tucker girls have new athletic opportunities coming this fall. When fifth-generation resident Andrea Wahl’s seven-year-old daughter told her she didn’t want to play in Tucker’s baseball league anymore, she took matters into her own hands.
“The boys are starting to get a little bigger, maybe a little bit rowdier. She just said, ‘Mom, I don’t want to do that anymore,’” Wahl told Rough Draft. “I found out after talking to her a little bit more that it was really because she wanted to be in an environment where she could play with girls. I said, ‘Okay, we’ve got to change that.’”
Wahl approached the City of Tucker’s Parks and Recreation team about starting the girls’ softball league. They told her that if she got 12 girls interested, they would open up registration. By the end of the spring, 65 players had expressed interest.
While Wahl started the league for her daughter, she also wanted to give young girls in Tucker more opportunities to participate in sports and learn how to be a team member and leader while getting outside and active.
“This is the age where girls start getting told that they are not the same as boys,” she said. “ …Providing them an area to do this with other girls without any sort of influence or judgment from boys their age is important because a lot of young girls will get discouraged from trying something new if they think that they’re immediately not going to be able to compete.”
Wahl grew up playing softball, eventually competing at the collegiate level, but Tucker did not have a rec league when she was a kid. Her family had to travel outside the county. She hopes the new league will give families easier and more affordable access to the sport.
“Access to rec league baseball, softball, all other sports as well, is getting harder and harder to find because travel ball is starting to be pushed earlier on,” Wahl said. “…Not all families in our area have the money or the time or the will to participate in something that’s going to require three to four days a week, thousands of dollars in commitment.”
Girls who are interested can compete in the coach pitch division for seven- and eight-year-olds or kid pitch for nine- and 10-year-olds and 11- and 12-year-olds. Spots are still open for all programs, with registration closing on Sept. 17.
A parent information meeting will be held Sept. 3 at the Tucker Recreation Center at 7 p.m. Parents who are signed up or interested in the league will learn about the basic rules, scheduling, and other important information. Player evaluations will be held on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at Kelley Cofer Park.
For those unable to join this season, Wahl expects there to be spring and subsequent fall seasons. More information and updates can be found on the Tucker Rec Girls Softball League Facebook page.
