ON THE ROAD AGAIN Emmah Rolfe is one of the top pitchers in the nation, and behind her is the support of her family as they zigzagged the country this summer

SPORTS

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Emmah Rolfe is one of the top pitchers in the nation, and behind her is the support of her family as they zigzagged the country

STORY BY BOB LABBE PHOTOS BY WILLIAM AYCOCK

TThe Rolfe family of Madison could possibly be the subject of a reality TV show on the Travel Channel. The threemember family consisting of Bob Jones senior Emmah Rolfe and her parents, Tim and Stacie, spent most of the summer months zigzagging the country as Emmah played travel softball.

“Since age eight I’ve been playing travel ball as I’ve wanted to play among the best of the best and travel the country at the same time,” said Emmah.

Travel they did.

With stops in locales such as Newberry, Fla., Irvine, Calif., Montgomery, Ala., Oklahoma City, Okla., Denver Colo., Huntington Beach, Calif., and Atlanta Ga., the Rolfes traveled an estimated 12,752 miles. Of that mileage, over 4,000 were by road in cars and 8,700 miles by air.

“It was an absolutely amazing summer packed with softball along with some vacationing,” said Tim, a government employee based on Redstone Arsenal where he manages the Family Advocacy Program.

“This summer was much more than softball,” said Stacie, who is a traumatic brain injury specialist working for the Department of Rehabilitation of Alabama. “I was the planner for our summer making hotel, rental car and flight accommodations. Plus, I can’t stand to be late so I made sure we were on schedule. Through it all, I loved it and enjoyed being there.”

Emmah is regarded as one of the top pitchers in the United States currently ranked as high as the No. 6 pitcher and No. 15 player overall among the class of 2022. She will play her senior season at Bob Jones. She is already a fourtime First Team All-State selection and a member of the Alabama Sportswriters Association Super All-State Team

God has provided a special calling for Emmah, which is a primary part of our lives.

- Tim Rolfe

I liked the aspects of working with others to accomplish a goal... My feeling is we don’t lose, we learn. ”

- Emmah Rolfe

for her play in her junior season. Last season she had a .098 ERA and batted .437 while leading the Lady Patriots with 13 homeruns.

The 5-foot-11 athlete plays for the highly elite 18U Georgia Impact Premier Lewis travel team. She’s expected to sign a full athletic scholarship in November with the Auburn Tigers where one of her current Impact teammates will be her roommate.

She began the sport at age four using a Whiffle ball in a field new her home in Anniston. She did so well she

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soon joined a T-Ball team at five years of age. While she also had her attempts at other sports such as taekwondo, cross country running, gymnastics, cheerleading and even playing the piano, softball became her passion. She developed quickly and soon blossomed into a riveting pitcher and was chosen All-State as a pitcher when she played for Class 5A Alexandria in the seventh grade and a year later was selected All-State as a first baseman.

“I was blessed with a good stature and I liked the aspects of working with others to accomplish a goal,” said Emmah. “I like to win. My feeling is we don’t lose…we learn.”

Travel means luggage, especially while traveling by plane. For Emmah, she carries a 50-pound suitcase, a travel bag, including her headphones and books, and a team required carry-on, which includes her four team uniforms and four different pairs of shoes.

“One thing I learned while attending camp was how to do laundry as I had a teammate teach me how to do so,” added Emmah, who carries a 3.8 grade point average and would like nothing better than study physical therapy while attending Auburn.

Tim said one of the favorite stops in their travels was in Colorado as the family took to four-wheelers to seek out the beautiful nature surroundings. The three of them also took to some mountain climbing, which is always a dream of anyone who visits the Rocky Mountains in the Centennial State. From state to state, city to city and field to field, the travels were enormous experiences which will forever be theirs to cherish. Tim spoke of how the family attended the Oklahoma City Bombing Museum and how riveting the moment was when standing before the story of death and destruction, which occured on that April morning, 1995 where 168 people were killed. “We visited the home of the Hollywood stars when we took a tour of Beverly Hills,” added Emmah, who has seemed to have had many of her recent June birthdays on the road during softball travels.

“God has provided a special calling for Emmah, which is a primary part of our lives,” added Tim. “With God’s given talents for Emmah God has provided a great platform for her to inspire a next generation as she also gives pitching lessons to girls eight to 10 years of age. She and I have worked for years pitching together and attending lessons and camps. She had to learn and we are very proud of what she has accomplished.”

Emmah indicated her pitching success is partly responsible due to Gary Thomas who is a pitching instructor and

With stops in locales such as Newberry, Fla., Irvine, Calif., Montgomery, Ala., Oklahoma City, Okla., Denver Colo., Huntington Beach, Calif., and Atlanta Ga., the Rolfes traveled an estimated 12,752 miles, and have made plenty of great memories along the way.

has taken Emmah under his coaching wings for the last two years. He’s recognized for helping raise her pitching talent level to the elite.

One of the most interesting facets of travels across the country came in Colorado as their flight to the mountainous state was cancelled causing the Rolfes to make the trip by car. They arrived early to have Emmah adjust to the higher elevation and thin air.

“Our travels have been much more than softball,” said Stacie. “Others we traveled with became our family. We did things together and developed relationships with the girls and their families. We have a dog named Hershey who is eight years old and we had him boarded during our trips. I missed him.”

Emmah was never alone during any game as her parents were there for support at each and every outing. Tim and Stacie would wear Impact or Auburn merchandise at each game. Tim would also Facebook live each game and handle the play-byplay commentating for those at home watching. On the side, Tim has a music publishing company and sings and plays with a band whenever possible.

Total expenses for the travel season is difficult to assess, but the family said more than $20-thousand was spent, not to mention some of the expenses that were covered by the Impact team. All of the money needed to successfully make the 2021 summer a time of remembrance was well worth the effort for all involved.

But, the travels are not complete. Emmah is expected to participate in fall travel softball during the months of October and November, which could add an episode to the already possible travel reality program.