July 16, 2012
Matchups between MC Hammer and Arrested Development and Blue Screens of Death and the Mount Vernon Misfits kicked off the seventh season of the GW Summer Softball League last week on the Mount Vernon Campus softball field
More than 250 employees in different offices, organizations and divisions from across the university are participating this season, which runs until August 23. The league is funded by Colonial Community and administered by the Office of Campus Recreation.
Recreational Sports Director Aubre Jones said the league provides an opportunity for employees to receive a “pat on the back” and to play on what he calls “the most beautiful softball field in Washington, D.C.
“When you go to work, you don’t usually have people cheering for you,” said Mr. Jones. “After work, you get a base hit or make a great play, people are cheering for you. It’s an amazing way to build camaraderie within departments and you can meet people outside departments and people you don’t usually work with.”
Kara Musselman, employee wellness coordinator for Colonial Community, said the GW Summer Softball League encourages employees to be active and social.
“Building a community among employees is one of the primary goals of Colonial Community, and the softball league is one of our original programs that has become a perennial favorite among employees of all ages,” she said.
This season, the teams are placed into either a competitive or recreational division, with the top six teams in the competitive league and the rest in the recreational leagues. At the end of the regular season, the top four teams in each division will participate in the playoffs.
Participating teams include GW Facilities Services’ Risky Facilities in the recreational division, and University Police Department’s Colonial Cops and GW Athletic Department’s Zero Athletic Ability (last year’s championship team) in the competitive division.
There are also two teams made up of mostly student employees: GW Housing’s GW House Party and GW Facilities Services’ WD-40s. Academic Technologies Puttin’ on the Ritz hits the field for the first time this year.
Tim Miller, associate dean of students, said he has participated in the league since its inception because he loves the competition and connections he makes across campus. A member of Rice Hall’s Rice Krispies team, Mr. Miller said he expects to make playoffs this season and “have fun getting there.”
“I think the two divisions [this season] provide a great opportunity for more people to participate in the league,” he said. “I have heard that some people thought the league was too serious at times and this provides for teams that want to compete and those that want to just have fun. I look forward to seeing how the two divisions play out this year and maybe next year we can have some interleague play and a longer season.”
Although Mr. Jones recently retired his bat after several seasons with Zero Athletic Ability, he won’t rule out a return to the field—in large part, he said, because it’s just plain fun.
“The one thing I’ll always say about sports is that you always want to go out and have fun,” he said. “People who play in the league have fun, and that’s the one thing in six years that has not changed.”