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AMY
2022 ASANA World Series Rookie of the Year FIELD THANKSCHEDULEASANAMAPSTEAMSOFEVENTSYOU!151046131416 Uniting the World Through Sports TM
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WELCOME Muriel Bowser Mayor, Washington DC from Angela Smith ASANA Executive Director TORRES: BARRY:
Confessions of an ASANA Softball Junkie JONAH
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DIRECTORY: Blue Rose Consulting Group, Inc. todd@bluerose-consulting.com202-774-2059
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Washington, D.C. is a 68 square mile mecca of history from the Washington monument, the tallest stone structure in the world, to Darth Vader’s carved head on the facade of the National Cathedral. There is something for everyone to explore and discover. We encourage each of you to take the time to reflect, celebrate and take in all of the rich history our nation’s capital represents to us all.
As an animal lover myself (often called “Cat Lady” by many), I find humor in sharing this fun fact. Theodore Roosevelt in 1901 allowed his six children to bring their pets to the White House. As well as many dogs and cats, they had a small bear, a lizard, guinea pigs, a badger, a pig, a blue macaw, a garter snake, a barn owl, a rabbit, a pony, a one-legged rooster and a hen named Baron Spreckle. So, you see, I am not the only crazy pet person!
Be safe, have fun and enjoy Washington, D.C. On behalf of the ASANA board and myself, we thank you for an amazing 15 years and being the future of this great organization!
15 Great years and counting! Making our own history in D.C.
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We welcome you all to the 15th year celebration of ASANA and to Washington, D.C. The D.C. host committee, the Chesapeake & Potomac (CAPS) softball league, and the ASANA board hopes you have a time to remember. From an idea by a few to bring the ASANA Softball World Series to D.C, to now reality in the making, everyone is excited to share all the amazing things that D.C has to offer.
See you around the ballpark, ANGELA “BUTTERBEAN” SMITH ASANA Executive Director
Amy Torres:
It was an invitation to play with an open division team at the 2007 NAGAAA World Series in Phoenix that changed Amy from a mere sports junkie to an ASANA SOFTBALL JUNKIE! At that tournament the NAGAAA allwomen Peppermint Patties kept getting asked, “Why are ya’ll not playing in the women’s division?” “WHAT?” she asked. “There’s a women’s division?! We immediately sought out this mystery division.” A friend named T, also a pickup Amy had met on the trip, got them down to the fields and they spent the day watching games and fangirling the ASANA players and teams. “We were the biggest fans of the entire tournament,” she recalled. “Nobody cheered louder for every game than us.”
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But she does come by her sports addiction honestly. Since her father was a coach with an absolute passion for sports, she grew up in a gym around a team environment. She says the two of them can “nerd out for hours about any sport.” It seems the gap in her early sports experiences was that she never knew there were LGBTQ+ sports leagues! While playing rec softball, she happened to hear about the new “gay” league playing on Sundays in Austin. And of course, that was the only night she wasn’t playing and wanted to add another day of “Littleplaying.didIknow,” said Amy, “that the people and community I met would be such a big part of my life. I got picked up on a team with people I’d never met who were interested in softball and were part of the LGBTQ+ community.” She says they were pretty good and a few of the guys were so fun and welcoming that they gave her a broader view of what “community” meant. Their NAGAAA co-ed rec team won a bid that season but couldn’t attend; after that, Los Tigres was formed in 2005 and they’ve been playing in the
BY CONNIE WARDMAN | SHE/HER
While there are many ASANA softball players truly devoted to the organization, and many who also consider themselves sports junkies, there are perhaps few who can claim to be both with as much enthusiasm as Amy Torres!
CONFESSIONS OF A SOFTBALL JUNKIE
Softball Austin open league ever since.
“ASANA had no idea what to make of us,” says Amy. “Nobody knew who we were.” In what would be a perfect TicTok moment, she says they ironed their jersey numbers on at the hotel the night before (there was an upsidedown logo and an iron burn hole mishap but … they had jerseys!). When ASANA thought they needed to be in B, she said they laughed, then compromised and went in as C. Once in Seattle, they had an absolute blast and she thinks they won one bracket game.
That was it – Amy was hooked – this was the moment she became an Official ASANA SOFTBALL JUNKIE! And the team was hooked as well. They were in, and they’ve been back to the ASANA World Series every year since 2008!
Amy remembers T saying the night before they left that they needed to be at the next ASANA World Series. “That,” she says “was my mission. I got back, worked with our board, got all our ducks in a row and started the Softball Austin Women’s Division and we sent our team, the Austin Angels to our first ASANA World Series in Seattle in 2008.”
When asked if she played anything other than softball, she had this to say: “I play them all (basketball, volleyball, soccer, flag football, wiffle ball, bowling, ping pong, even college fencing). I’ve retired from a few due to the mileage on my poor knees. I had a second knee surgery last year but timed my surgery and rehab so as not to miss the series last year. Rec softball has been a constant for the last 20+ years. I’ve also developed a bit of a golf addiction over the pandemic and I’m eager to try my hand at pickleball.” WOW!
“It’s funny how the team really comes together for each other. On the field we try to back each other up, build each other up and make each other relax and play well. But there is also an energy you feel ‘in the hive’ when someone needs something or is dealing with something in their life. It sometimes goes unsaid but that vibe, that comradery, that safe place to relax and just enjoy softball … that is us.”
thank you goes to the Softball Austin Board for their continued support and to previous Softball Austin Commissioners, Richard Benavidez and Jeff Butler. It was their early support and leadership that enabled Amy’s group to establish their league’s women’s division and ultimately, their place with ASANA. Amy says they both provided friendship, guidance and definitely taught her a lot about leadership.
Player’s experiences at a World Series are always filled with people to thank along the way, and Amy is no exception. Thanking T for the years they played together, Amy calls her the “absolute nudge I needed to get motivated. Without it, there would be no Angels or women’s division. T has also been a great reminder that it’s not that serious. We are loved. We are alive. We are playing. We are going to come back and do this again.”
Amy’s last thank you, however, is saved for her teams, both current and past. Musing on a team’s relationship, our ASANA Softball Junkie has defined what makes softball, teamwork and the ASANA World Series so special to those who are lucky enough to experience it.
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When asked if there’s anything she’d like to share with younger players or rookies coming to the World Series for the first time, our Softball Junkie turns philosophical, saying that it’s easy to get caught up in being competitive. “I encourage everyone to step back and remember we’re playing a recreational sport. At the end of the day there’s a winner and a loser.” Urging players to be gracious whatever the outcome, Amy reminds you that you’ll all be going home and getting back to the real world, so make the most of your time while you’re together.
“... A GREAT REMINDER THAT SPORTS ARE A TERRIFIC WAY TO share experiences and strengthen a community.”
Amy offers kudos to her friend and OG Angel Betsy Schultz, a multi-series MVP who has won two World Series (with Ultra). Calling her the g.o.a.t., she says Betsy reminds her that she can still play in spite of those knees, she can still push and that sometimes she needs to get out of her
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Talking about her ASANA experiences, Amy says she enjoys every series, getting to spend it competing with her team, meeting people who love softball from around the country and getting to see a new part of the country. “It’s just a blast,” she says, “and a great reminder that sports are a terrific way to share experiences and strengthen a community.”
Meet the 2022 ASANA WORLD SERIES ROOKIE
While Jonah has always been an athlete, he didn’t grow up playing either softball or baseball. Instead, he played tennis and basketball, playing the latter well enough to earn a college scholarship based on his performance. His first experience playing softball, however, didn’t occur until 2012 when he spent two years in Kansas City and joined softball team, Girls Who Love Bacon. He then moved to Denver for two years before moving to the south of Spain for six years.
When the World Health Organization announced the start of the pandemic in 2020, however, Jonah returned to the Atlanta area where his softball playing continued and his learning of the basics and intricacies of softball began. But he’s done much more in his life than just play sports.
His backstory? Jonah’s an honorably discharged U.S. veteran, turned firefighter/paramedic, turned international contractor doing emergency medical work in remote and austere environments. With his deep belief in being of service to others, upon returning stateside, he started his own company – the Set Safe Group.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Jonah Barry
Based on his experience working with NGOs (nongovernmental organizations), international peace organizations and the CDC in Nigeria
This year’s Rookie of the Year is Jonah Barry (he/him) who plays for Divas On Dirt, part of Atlanta’s Hotlanta Softball League (HSL), and his journey to becoming an ASANA World Series rookie is truly a remarkable one!
BY CONNIE WARDMAN | SHE/HER
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AS YOU UNPACK YOUR GEAR and start catching up with old friends, be sure to reach out to all this year’s new faces, the rookies who are at the ASANA World Series for the first time. Following the popularity of last year’s Rookie of the Year piece, this anticipated annual feature will provide veteran attendees an opportunity to read about a first timer and learn more about the fabulous people who are the newest athletes choosing to join ASANA!
JONAH SAYS HE FINDS IT “really satisfying to answer people’s questions”
Jonah’s company has a high volume of clients within major motion picture studios, events and productions on a global basis, but it also works within the Federal Contracting space to provide these same services to the Department of Defense. Just your average, everyday business – NOT!
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As I think back, I realize that I’ve often mentioned how very impressed I am by the ASANA athletes I’ve met, and I now must add Jonah to that number. So I hope you have an opportunity to meet him in person and welcome him to the ASANA family. I think he’s an absolute keeper!
“They’re an incredible group of women. Strong, smart, talented and fierce athletes,” he says. “Such a diverse group, with many different world views. How we come together on the softball field and treat each other with respect, as a family, touches my heart in a way I cannot describe.”
He believes for every type of straight person there is in the world, there’s also one in the LGBTQ+ world. And individually as well as collectively, we have to find a way to walk comfortably through this world, without fear, shame or judgement for who we are. To do that, Jonah believes we need to develop that solid sense of community, of family, that’s found best on teams that consistently bring that same sense of light, love and commitment to one another in the world as they do during a game.
during the Ebola outbreak, Jonah’s Set Safe Group is a comprehensive business that writes both health and safety protocols as well as emergency/disaster action plans and provides medical oversight to organizations.
Jonah transitioned as male in 2015 and is very open to answer people’s questions. “Being open to talking about my transition,” he says “opens the door to knowing me as a person. It helps eliminate potential preconceived ideas others may have about the trans community or me as a trans person.” In continuing his work to overcome the stigma associated with transgender individuals and ensure equality for all, he’s also working with ASANA Executive Director Angela Smith on the organization’s committee for Diversity and Inclusion.
BECAUSE IT OPENS THE DOOR TO KNOWING HIM AS A PERSON, HELPING TO ELIMINATE ANY POTENTIAL PRECONCEIVED IDEAS
Back to softball, however. Is it an important part of Jonah’s life? Absolutely! He says he plays lots of softball; given any opportunity to play, he will. Having returned home during a pandemic, he had struggled to meet people and find a sense of community until he joined ASANA. He’s particularly touched by how wonderfully kind and supportive his team has been.
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