CROWN POINT | Chaos, Magic and Heat congregated on Crown Point's downtown square Monday, joined by Cobras, Rebels, Phoenix and Outlaws. What sounds like a scene from the latest "Harry Potter" movie was actually the team line-up for opening ceremonies in the National Softball Association Girls Fast Pitch B North World Series.
When the tournament came to Northwest Indiana in 2007, about 10,000 athletes from 187 teams descended on the region. This year, 211 teams from across the Midwest are in the competition and participated in the opening ceremonies and parade Monday night.
Dressed in their jerseys or costumes, the girls walked around the square waving ribbons, throwing candy and spraying silly string. Parents, siblings and supporters lined the sidewalks and clustered under the shade of the trees on the courthouse lawn, venturing out to take pictures as their teams walked by.
Members of the 8U team from Valparaiso, the Phoenix, were among the first in the parade. Head coach Vis Kupsis said the girls are primarily from a parks department league and were coached over the winter to prepare for the tournament.
"It's such a nice experience, hopefully it will carry on in future years," said Kupsis, whose team was 1-1 after play Monday and includes 8U Miss NSA winner Mya Seifert.
After the parade, Crown Point Mayor David Uran welcomed the teams and their families to the city, and the girls broke out in a cheer.
"Softball rules," they yelled.
Taylor Bolyard, 14, of Fort Wayne, a catcher for The Heartbreakers, said she's been playing softball for seven years. Her favorite part of playing games?
"If they're close," she said. "It gets your adrenaline going."
The girls weren't the only ones dressed in jerseys with their team names splashed across the front. So were the moms, such as a group from Illinois who proudly displayed Charleston Chill attire.
"This is the ultimate goal," said Mary White, of Charleston, Ill., whose daughter Maggie White plays for the Charleston Chill 14U team and estimates the teams play more than 40 games in seven weeks. "We know going in that's our summer."
The tournaments are families to former softball player Denise Odell, of Charleston, who said she played in tournaments growing up, but they weren't the same size as the one this week in Northwest Indiana. Her daughter, Megan Odell, plays on the same team as Maggie, and is upfront about her favorite part of tournaments, the reason all of the girls are there.
"She likes to play," Odell said. "She doesn't like this hoopla."
The National Softball Association Girls Fast Pitch B North World Series continues through Friday. Games will be played on fields throughout Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties.
