Ellen Hartman is in the lair!

Posted by May 21 2012, 4:00 am

I’m thrilled to have Superromance author Ellen Hartman with us today! Her latest release, The Long Shot, is garnering rave reviews and is out now :-) (Pick up a copy. You won’t be disappointed!) Welcome, Ellen!

What I Learned Playing Softball in the 70s

In my May Superromance, The Long Shot, high school guidance counselor, Julia Bradley, bets that the girls’ basketball team she coaches will make the state tournament. The only problem is that Julia is a terrible coach. 

I played softball in the 1970s, part of a generation of girls coached by moms who’d had limited exposure to organized sports.

Why did those particular women, most of whom didn’t have the faintest idea of how to coach, put their names down on the volunteer sheet? Did they dream about a league when they were kids, watching their brothers play? Did they want this athletic outlet for their daughters? How much of their decision was about baseball and how much was about wanting to fill a gap for the girls in their lives? I don’t know the answers to those questions, but I deeply I enjoyed thinking about them as I wrote Julia’s story.

My first baseball coach had a very pretty name, Mindy, and very pretty hands. She wore elastic waist shorts sized as-big-as-they-come. While she coached us, she chain-smoked, holding the cigarette daintily between painted nails, blowing smoke through tiny black teeth.

Mindy sent the shortest girls up to the plate with instructions not to swing. At anything. Those tiny girls, with a strike zone measured in inches, were more than likely going to draw a walk if they just stood at the plate long enough. Sure there was a bit of strategy involved, why waste a strike when a walk was guaranteed? But the underlying message was that some girls were too small or too delicate or too something to really play. Organized sports and ordinary girls were just starting to get to know each other.

One of the girls I played with “threw like a girl.” Her windup was the exact motion cartoon characters use to illustrate that insult: she’d fold her arm in half, elbow pointed at the ground, hand clutching the ball in front of her shoulder, and with a feminine little “oof,” she’d flip her wrist, sending the ball a whopping few feet. She started and ended her three-year baseball career unable to perform one of the basic tasks of baseball.

I was a skinny kid and not tall, but I loved playing catcher. The girls’ league didn’t have our own catcher’s equipment, so we used a set the boys had discarded. The chest protector hung down to my knees. The shin guards covered me from toes to hips. The helmet required two hands to drag off. I was barely mobile and never once caught a foul ball for an out. But at every opportunity I flung the helmet off and squinted at the sky, circling the plate, glove out hopefully, just in case.

My brother’ baseball uniform included a jersey with his team name printed on the back, a matching hat and socks, and long white baseball pants. Mine was a pair of polyester knit shorts, a polyester v-neck shirt, and a hat. I coveted my brother’s baseball pants, every week my hands itched to snatch them out of his laundry pile.

Our baseball league had two fields, one with a grass infield and groomed base paths, the other pure dirt and rocks. I remember standing at second base on the dirt field watching the boys’ game across the fence and wondering if ground balls would be easier to catch on smooth grass.

But I did love the game. My dad taught me to throw and hit and field grounders or fly balls. I learned the catcher’s art of psyching out the batter all on my own—I don’t think the term “trash talk” came into vogue until after I hung up my glove.

I don’t remember learning much baseball from the women who coached me, but I absorbed lessons they maybe didn’t even know they were teaching. I learned about fostering opportunities. I learned about following a dream even if it doesn’t look like other people’s dreams, or even much like a dream at all. (Surely no one dreams of playing ball on a dirt field in polyester shorts surrounded by people who haven’t a clue what to do if the ball comes their way.) I learned to keep my head up in the face of a loss, to make do, but to keep an eye out for a way to trade up. I learned that expertise isn’t everything. Sometimes what matters is being willing to show up.

In an early draft of The Long Shot, my editor penciled a question asking why Julia is the coach if she’s so terrible at the game. The book is set in a depressed town in upstate New York where the teachers at the high school are worn down. Julia coaches because no one else will. She cares.

Those women, the ones who showed up so our fledgling Little League softball teams could get off the ground, so the girls like me who wanted to play had a team, are the ones Julia Bradley is modeled on. She doesn’t know how to coach basketball, but she knows the team matters. She knows her girls matter and she’s doing what it takes to teach them to value themselves and their goals.

Being a sports hero isn’t always about winning. Sometimes the hero is the one who shows up.

What about you? Did you play sports? Coach? Have a favorite sports romance? I’d love to hear your stories.

Ellen’s giving away three copies of The Long Shot today!

And don’t forget to check out Ellen’s website at: http://www.ellenhartman.com/index.html

91 Comments

Comments

91 thoughts on “Ellen Hartman is in the lair!”

  1. 1
    Jane says:
    May 21, 2012 at 5:11 am

    Congrats on the new release, Ellen. I love watching sports, but don’t play any. I did play softball in elementary school. I do enjoy sports romances, especially Deirdre Martin’s Blade series and Bella Andre’s The Bad Boys of Football series.

    • 1.1
      Helen says:
      May 21, 2012 at 5:17 am

      He likes it at your place Jane

      Have Fun
      Helen

    • 1.2
      Anna Sugden says:
      May 21, 2012 at 6:15 am

      Congrats on getting the pesky bird, Jane. Hope he doesn’t bring your boys luck tonight! *g*

      It’s a great playoffs series – shame one team has to win, really!

    • 1.3
      Ellen Hartman says:
      May 21, 2012 at 6:57 am

      Hi Jane,

      Deirdre Martin and I live in the same small town–isn’t that funny? Her first Blades book, Body Check is one of my favorites. I remember a lunch we had when she described the research she did for the one about the firefighter. Very fun!

    • 1.4
      Beth Andrews says:
      May 21, 2012 at 8:55 am

      Hey, Jane! I’ve heard such good things about both Deirdre’s and Bella’s books but haven’t read them yet. Hopefully, I can change that this summer *g*

      • 1.4.1
        Anna Sugden says:
        May 21, 2012 at 10:59 am

        I agree with Ellen – Body Check and Fair Play are two of my favourites Deirdre Martin books – though her whole New York Blades series is great.

        • 1.4.1.1
          Jeanne Adams says:
          May 21, 2012 at 11:26 am

          I’m going to tsk at you, Anna and Beth! You didn’t tell me about the aforementioned sports romances! I love sports! Now must go buy them on my Kindle. Grins.

          Jane, congrats on bagging the bird today. It counts as a sport….he’s hard to nab!!

        • 1.4.1.2
          Beth Andrews says:
          May 21, 2012 at 3:17 pm

          I’ll have to check them out this summer. I’m hoping to increase my reading time this year *g*

  2. 2
    Helen says:
    May 21, 2012 at 5:20 am

    Ellen

    I never really played sports as a young girl but I did ice skate and loved it. I went to an all girls high school here in Australia and we had netball and softball teams that I played in but never really enjoyed although some of my friends were great players and the teachers who coached seemed to know what they were talking about.

    I love reading sports romances and have read a few over the years.

    Congrats on the release and thanks Beth for inviting Ellen along today

    Have Fun
    Helen

    • 2.1
      Ellen Hartman says:
      May 21, 2012 at 7:08 am

      Hi Helen,

      I admire anyone who can ice skate. I grew up roller skating at Skateaway, our local roller rink, but didn’t try ice skating until I was an adult. I’m a barely competent ice skater at this point–I can go forward and stop, but that’s about it. :-)

      Thanks for the welcome! I was thrilled when Beth invited me to stop by.

    • 2.2
      Beth Andrews says:
      May 21, 2012 at 8:59 am

      Helen, I love ice skating! As a kid, I would roller skate in the warmer months and ice skate every change I got in the colder months. Every winter I tell myself I should get my skates sharpened and give the new indoor rink a go but I never do *g*

  3. 3
    Maureen says:
    May 21, 2012 at 5:59 am

    My father was the president of our town’s Little League and when they decided to sponsor a girl’s softball league I was told that I would be on it. My parents were very traditional so it was my brother who was encouraged to play sports, not myself. This is why I found myself at eleven years old trying to learn to play a game that I hadn’t paid a lot of attention to. To me softball was something to be endured but I like this post where it was the beginning of opportunities for girls who wanted to be on a softball team.

    • 3.1
      Ellen Hartman says:
      May 21, 2012 at 7:14 am

      Hi Maureen,

      When I started writing this blog, I asked my dad if he remembered who started our softball league, but he wasn’t sure. I read a bit about the history of girls and Little League and it sounded like many towns added girls teams right around the same time. (It was just after the Little League rules were changed to specify that girls couldn’t play on boys’ teams)

      I’m in the opposite situation from you. My parents were all about opening up non-traditional gender roles for me so I can play baseball, but no one taught me to cook.

    • 3.2
      Beth Andrews says:
      May 21, 2012 at 9:08 am

      Maureen, to be honest, I can’t remember why I started playing baseball. I’m assuming it was something I wanted to do as my parents couldn’t have cared less about sports for any of their kids :-)

  4. 4
    Dianna aka Hrdwrkdmom says:
    May 21, 2012 at 6:04 am

    I am a klutz, sports just did not come to me easily. Okay, sports didn’t come to me at all, there I said it. I was the one that sprained my ankle just going down to the showers, a painful moment of teen age embarrassment. All the girls had to squeal and cover up when two hulking jocks and to come in and carry me up 4 flights of stairs to the nurse. They opted for the fireman’s carry and my teenage self never, ever got over it.
    If I am sitting down and someone else turns on a game of any kind I can sit there and watch it and even understand it somewhat but to actively watch sports is not something I do.

    • 4.1
      Ellen Hartman says:
      May 21, 2012 at 7:24 am

      Oh Dianna, what a story. I want to give your teenage-self a hug!

      I got lost during a cross-country race one time and ended up coming in well after the race had ended. The end of the race was 50 yards up the side of the football field. While my teammates were waiting for me to show up, they organized the football players to stand in two lines and I had to run between them while they all “cheered” for me. It was a total nightmare. Sigh.

      Being a teenager is hard. I think that’s why I like writing about them so much. In The Long Shot the hero is raising his teenager brother and their conflict is central to the story.

      I’m mostly a sports watcher these days, myself!

      • 4.1.1
        Beth Andrews says:
        May 21, 2012 at 9:13 am

        Ellen, my son and older daughter both did cross country (a year each *g*) and our home course is completely confusing. Luckily, the kids on our team were good about helping the visitors out so they took that left turn when they were supposed to and kept them going straight when they weren’t :-)

    • 4.2
      Beth Andrews says:
      May 21, 2012 at 9:11 am

      Hugs, Dianna! As Ellen says, being a teenager is hard – which is why I think so many of remember those days so clearly.

  5. 5
    Anna Sugden says:
    May 21, 2012 at 6:14 am

    Squee! So glad to have you here in the Lair, Ellen. Loved your hockey romance – Calling the Shots! Can’t wait to read this one!

    Love sports romances, especially hockey, but also football and baseball. Rachel Gibson, Deirdre Martin, Kate Angell, SEP and Patricia Sargent/Regina Hart are some of my faves.

    Fingers crossed that my hockey romance, currently being revised for Supers sells!

    Oh and Go Devils! *g*

    • 5.1
      Ellen Hartman says:
      May 21, 2012 at 7:33 am

      Hi Anna,

      The Smart Bitches site did a post about my book and collected people’s sports romance recommendations. I came away with quite the list to add to my TBR. You and I share some favorites…as well as a love for hockey! (So glad you liked Calling the Shots.

      In 1995, I was a newlywed living down the street from the sports bar in Hoboken, NJ. We didn’t get any sleep during the Stanley Cup that year!

      Now I live in Ithaca, NY and my son plays in the same youth league where Dustin Brown (captain of the LA Kings) played as a kid. Playoff fever is high at our house!

      I wish you great success with your hockey book. I’ll be first in line to read it!

      • 5.1.1
        Beth Andrews says:
        May 21, 2012 at 12:36 pm

        my son plays in the same youth league where Dustin Brown (captain of the LA Kings) played as a kid.

        Ellen, that is so cool! My son and I watched part of the game yesterday and he said he was rooting for the Kings *g*

        • 5.1.1.1
          Ellen Hartman says:
          May 21, 2012 at 12:53 pm

          I won’t tell you how much money from my son’s piggy bank was spent last winter on raffle tickets to win a signed Dustin Brown jersey.

          Thankfully, my son is one of the luckiest people I know so he’s been properly attired in his official Kings gear while watching the playoffs.

          • 5.1.1.1.1
            Beth Andrews says:
            May 21, 2012 at 3:20 pm

            Yay! Congrats to your son *g*

            My younger daughter tried like mad to win something when the Pens were still playing but didn’t have any luck. I’m afraid if she won a signed Malkin jersey she’d never take it off.

    • 5.2
      Beth Andrews says:
      May 21, 2012 at 12:34 pm

      Fingers crossed that my hockey romance, currently being revised for Supers sells!

      You know my fingers are crossed! Love that book *g*

  6. 6
    Maureen says:
    May 21, 2012 at 7:17 am

    Ellen,

    You really touched me with this post! I am a child of the 70′s also, and sometimes we forget how different things are now. The women you describe who taught us about reaching for our dreams, even if those dreams weren’t considered traditional “female” ones at the time! Thanks for writing about this and reminding all of us about the women who went before us and paved the way!

    I haven’t read any of your books before, but you can be sure I will be reading them now! I hope I win a copy of this one! Thanks for stopping by today and sharing with us.

    • 6.1
      Beth Andrews says:
      May 21, 2012 at 12:38 pm

      Hi, Maureen! I agree that today’s post is wonderful and so insightful *g*

      You’ll love Ellen’s books – she’s a Must Buy for me!

  7. 7
    Laney4 says:
    May 21, 2012 at 7:40 am

    I was born with a hole in my heart that didn’t heal until I was 4.5 years old, at which time I was finally allowed to stay at home with my parents (after being in a children’s hospital 2 hours away most of that time – and back in those days, my parents didn’t own a car so had to borrow one to visit me). Even though the hole had healed, my parents were still leery about sports for me. I was allowed to do the high jump by Grade 8 but nothing else (back in the days when you landed on your feet). In college, I took up badminton – not realizing that my mom (40 years my senior) had played in her younger days as well. I have continued with badminton since the mid 70s and play competitive tournaments all the time, as well as have regular play five nights/week during the school year and two nights/week otherwise. I obviously love it, as I’m now 53 and still winning our club championships decades later.

    You mentioned that you weren’t taught to cook. Me either. My mom always said Dad wouldn’t eat anybody’s cooking but hers so refused to teach me. (I should see a therapist, what with all the “mom issues” I could list here….) Anyway, she had to stay with my eldest sister’s family shortly after I wed in 1982 and told Dad to eat in a restaurant if he didn’t make supper himself. I invited him to our place for supper several times. He ate. He enjoyed. My mom got M-A-D. (My mom was into control, if you can’t tell by now….) To this day, my friends know they can count on me to cook delicious meals and desserts (and often ask me to do so). One of my nicknames is The Happy Baker, as I bake for my family and take leftovers to badminton to share (so we don’t eat everything ourselves). It’s a win-win situation for all, as that means I can bake something new in a few days’ time, rather than the following week after the previous baking has gone stale and might have been thrown out (gasp!).

    • 7.1
      Ellen Hartman says:
      May 21, 2012 at 7:51 am

      Hi Laney,

      I can’t imagine what it must have been like for you and your family with the hospital situation so young. I’m so happy to know your heart healed and now you’re a badminton champ. Funny that you picked your mom’s sport!

      I think by the time I was a teenager my mom would have loved to share the cooking duties with someone, but she did it all herself. Now that she and my dad are retired, he’s the main chef in their family. He’s always trying new recipes and I think she loves it. I can make a few foolproof meals, but my scope is limited. Luckily I married a man who enjoys cooking.

      Now baking, though. I do love to bake and I love to eat things other people bake! Your badminton league must love you! If you ever do get in a situation where you have leftovers that are in danger of going stale, you can always send them my way!

      Thanks for sharing your stories! :-)

    • 7.2
      Beth Andrews says:
      May 21, 2012 at 12:43 pm

      Hey, Laney! That’s so great that you’ve enjoyed playing badminton all these years!

  8. 8
    Ellen Hartman says:
    May 21, 2012 at 7:42 am

    Hi Maureen,

    It’s funny. When I set out to write this book, I’d thought a lot about my experience as a player on girls sports teams, but I hadn’t really looked at the experience of my coaches. Because I used Julia as a vehicle to imagine why someone without experience or expertise would coach, I got to explore the idea in fiction but I still wish I knew what inspired the women who made our league possible.

    I am so grateful to them, whatever their motivations. I can’t imagine what it would have felt like to grow up without sports, especially if I’d had to watch my brother play and I couldn’t!

    Fingers crossed that you’ll win a book today!

  9. 9
    Ellen Hartman says:
    May 21, 2012 at 7:53 am

    I just wanted to pause for a second and say thank you to Beth for inviting me here today. Your blog community is so lively and welcoming, it’s a real treat to be here with you.

    Thanks to Beth and everyone else for letting me spend the day with you. :-)

  10. 10
    Mozette says:
    May 21, 2012 at 8:07 am

    What about you? Did you play sports? Coach? Have a favorite sports romance? I’d love to hear your stories.

    When I was around 9 years old, I was a gymnast for the Springwood Springers. It was a tough place to be in and we competed as well. I got up to level 3 on the Beam and level 4 on the Floor Routines and level 1 on the Uneven Bars. However, I never won a trophy or anything great like that. It was hard being in competition as the nerves I put up with in front of the judges were terrible… but I kept it up to keep fit.
    But it didn’t last long as my brother joined The Scouts and Mum and Dad pulled me out of it… stupid really, why didn’t they just leave me there and let me keep going? I was going okay! I still think it wasn’t fair.
    Then, I took up skateboarding. It’s an extreme sport that I became addicted to within weeks of being able to stay on the board… and within the year, my brother went in to vouch for me to our folks to get Mum and Dad to buy me a proper skateboard (as the one I was using was a home-made board he made from a chunk of wood and old roller skate axles and wheels!). I was a skater chick for a little over a decade; until a melanoma brought my career as the first female skate-head in Brisbane and Logan City (which was a big thing in the ’80′s and ’90′s) to a grinding halt!
    Once I got my strength back and was able to balance on my left leg again, I bought myself a set of inline blades… still addicted to extreme sports, I found I was going through withdrawal and needed to get fit; and quickly. So, after I figured out how to stand up in them, I sorted out some lessons in roller blading at Southbank here in Brisbane. It was the best 5 lessons of my life… and saved me a lot of grazes and broken bones. I learned a lot from my teacher; and I’m thankful he took the time to help an ex-skater learn another sport. Actually, my reflexes worked well in the exchange in blading from skateboarding… so I’m grateful I could use them in the longrun.

    I don’t coach any team. But once in a while, I’ll help out a young skater who’s doing a stunt wrong when I know how to do it. They’re usually amazed I know the technique and when they try it out, they grateful and we get talking about the board they use, protective gear and other things – like Mentors – which are used around Brisbane these days for young skateheads. A lot of young skateboarders today really don’t have anyone to teach them how to skate, so the Mentoring system that has been set up by an old skater from my time is a God-send.

    • 10.1
      Ellen Hartman says:
      May 21, 2012 at 8:29 am

      Mozette–what a fascinating story. I love that your brother made your first board and I’m more impressed than you can imagine that you learned to skate on a homemade one. I found the learning curve huge on a real one and I never really got the hang of it. My best friend was pretty good, though.

      Glad there was a good resolution to your health issue and that you’ve found a new sport. Taking a few lessons was a terrific idea, and now I’m thinking about following your lead. I need a new sport–something more vigorous than walking my dog.

      Your mentoring sounds great, too. I know kids who’d be thrilled to get some tips from someone who knows what they’re doing with a skateboard.

      Thanks for sharing your story!

      • 10.1.1
        Mozette says:
        May 21, 2012 at 8:52 pm

        I can’t take part in the Mentoring system properly because I have to be able to skateboard; something I haven’t done since I was 22 (and I’m 38 now… now that’s a long time!). But I can tell the kids how to do something and they’ll try it. If they don’t, well that’s up to them. The guy who set up this system lives on the north side of Brisbane and he has other skate-heads around my age working with him. He has also kept a database of old skateheads from around Brisbane – active and retired ones – so he can keep track of us all. Pretty cool if you ask me.

    • 10.2
      Beth Andrews says:
      May 21, 2012 at 2:57 pm

      Mozette, that’s so great you’re able to be a mentor young skateboarders!

      I love in-line skating but have a hard time doing it on our walking/bike trails as they’re so rough. Maybe I just need to keep at it?

      • 10.2.1
        Mozette says:
        May 21, 2012 at 8:54 pm

        Actually, if you have a roller skating rink in your neighbourhood, that’s a good place to start out. You can meet people there who will know places outdoors to blade and they usually go as a group too. Give that a try and see where it takes you. You never know, you might get your whole family involved in something you all love. :)

        • 10.2.1.1
          Beth Andrews says:
          May 21, 2012 at 9:02 pm

          Unfortunately, the only roller rink in town closed years ago. I paid close attention to the pavement while I took my walk tonight and it’s not in very good shape. Our winters are brutal and pavement often ends up heaving and cracking and gets potholes. But I’m not giving up! I’m hopeful I can find someplace.

  11. 11
    Kaelee says:
    May 21, 2012 at 8:40 am

    I was and am totally non coordinated so I stink at sports. I do love to watch a lot of sports though and love sports stories. I think baseball is great to watch as I can people watch at the same time. Hockey and basketball are more intense so there’s not as much time to scan the crowds. My absolute favorite sport is chuckwagon racing.

    I’m looking forward to reading your book as I won it on the Super Romance site. I gave my unread bought copy to a friend I met for the first time. We had met on the Harlequin site and now we’ve met in person.

    • 11.1
      Ellen Hartman says:
      May 21, 2012 at 12:00 pm

      Hi Kaelee,

      Thanks so much for passing my book along. How cool that you guys connected through the eHarlequin boards. (I love the community at eHQ.) I mailed your book out on Friday so it should be in your hands soon!

      I was talking to my son’s crew coach a few weeks ago and he mentioned that a lot of folks who haven’t been naturally good at sports find their niche in crew. My son is certainly more successful with it than he’s been with past sports.

      All I know about chuck wagon racing is those old commercials for dog food! (In other words, I know nothing!) It sounds fantastic. I think I might try to find some YouTube links.

      I hope you like The Long Shot!

    • 11.2
      Beth Andrews says:
      May 21, 2012 at 2:58 pm

      Kaelee, I love to people watch, too! My girls are trying tennis for the first time this year so it’ll be interesting to see how the crowd acts/reacts. Some crowds are just brutal.

  12. 12
    Beth Andrews says:
    May 21, 2012 at 8:53 am

    Welcome to the lair, Ellen! So glad you could be with us today *g*

    I started THE LONG SHOT over the weekend and am loving it especially the relationship between the brothers :-)

    What a great post! I played Little League for a few years then switched to slow pitch softball and played that until I was sixteen. I, too, was the team catcher and I loved it – mostly because I didn’t like the ball being hit at me *g*

    • 12.1
      Ellen Hartman says:
      May 21, 2012 at 12:04 pm

      Hi Beth,

      Thanks again for inviting me to blog with you. Your site is so welcoming. I had a good time looking back through past blogs when I was trying to figure out what to write. :-)

      Funny how similar we are whenever we share stories–I had no idea you were a catcher, too. My younger son likes to catch, but I think for him the attraction is being in on every play.

      I’m so happy you’re enjoying The Long Shot! I’m not surprised you are enjoying the brothers–Victoria called this my Dean book. (After Dean Winchester, of course.) :-)

      • 12.1.1
        Beth Andrews says:
        May 21, 2012 at 3:01 pm

        Thanks, Ellen! We’re very proud of our Lair here and do believe we have the best readers/commenters around *g*

        I’m not surprised you are enjoying the brothers–Victoria called this my Dean book. (After Dean Winchester, of course.)

        LOL! That’s an apt description of the book *g* Ahh…those Winchester boys! Love them ;-)

  13. 13
    Donna MacMeans says:
    May 21, 2012 at 9:55 am

    Ellen – I love this post!

    I played softball in the 60s. Shortstop here. I can’t remember much about the coach, but I think it was someone’s father. There wasn’t alot of actual coaching involved other than making out the batting order and assigning position. I could field and throw, but was terrified at standing up at bat. I think because I knew that’s where the criticism would come when the game was over – not from the coach, but from my father.

    I didn’t join any team sports in high school – I don’t think there were any women’s sports teams in high school back then. As they say – we’ve come a long way baby!

    I don’t normally rush out to buy a sports themed romancd – but I will yours. Your post was so delightful, I think the book will be as well. I’m already routing for Julia.

    Thanks for joining us today and thanks to Beth for bringing you to the lair.

    • 13.1
      Ellen Hartman says:
      May 21, 2012 at 12:13 pm

      Hi Donna,

      Wow, a shortstop! I’m impressed. My reflexes are way too slow to play that position. I had all female coaches in my youth leagues, but when I got to high school, my coaches were all men. My dad never coached me, but he did coach my sister–my older brother even took a turn coaching her basketball team once.

      We have come a long way. I wrote a book about a hockey dad because I was interested in the dad/daughter dynamic in my son’s youth hockey league, specifically around the age that checking starts and many girls switch out of the co-ed league to a girls league. I think it’s fantastic to see all kids have so many choices and paths!

      I hope you like The Long Shot if you pick it up. :-)

    • 13.2
      Beth Andrews says:
      May 21, 2012 at 3:03 pm

      Your post was so delightful, I think the book will be as well.

      It is, Donna! I think you’ll really enjoy the book *g*

  14. 14
    May Pau says:
    May 21, 2012 at 10:21 am

    No, never took up sports… unless you count running but that’s more solitary….

    I like Rachel Gibson’s hockey romance though… Light and fun…

    • 14.1
      Ellen Hartman says:
      May 21, 2012 at 12:14 pm

      Hi May,

      I’ve been a runner in the past, but not recently. I admire people who keep it up. Solitary, but wonderfully centering, I think.

      I like Rachel Gibson’s hockey books. Jill Shalvis wrote some baseball books that are very fun, too.

    • 14.2
      Beth Andrews says:
      May 21, 2012 at 3:09 pm

      I like Rachel Gibson’s hockey romance though… Light and fun…

      Me, too, May! Read the last one and really enjoyed it *g*

  15. 15
    Kristina Mathews says:
    May 21, 2012 at 10:31 am

    Ellen,
    Loved THE LONG SHOT.

    I was one of two girls who played Little League baseball when I was 9. I played with the boys, and they teased me until I punched my best friend in the stomach when he wouldn’t let me on first base during a practice game. After that they stopped calling me a cheerleader.

    I also played on my high school’s first girls softball team. We had the old boys’ jerseys and these awful bright red pants. I rode the bench but had a blast.

    The last time I played co-ed softball, I played 1st base for the first time. This very serious player, hit the ball to the pitcher and as I jumped for the throw he slammed into me. I bounced. Twice. And he was screaming about me being in the base path. Maybe I was, but it was beer league co-ed softball, not the World Series.

    Now I mostly watch my kids play sports. I think it’s a great thing for kids. Boys need to channel their aggression and girls need to learn how to find power in their bodies.

    • 15.1
      Ellen Hartman says:
      May 21, 2012 at 12:20 pm

      Hi Kristina,

      When I was preparing this blog, I looked back at the Little League history to see when girls leagues became popular. A girl who played on the boys team in Hoboken seems to have started the revolution. Interesting that you were doing the same thing, probably around the same time.

      I’m having trouble picturing high school girls wearing boys old uniforms. The fit must have been something. :-)

      I played flag football a long time ago in a league at my office. I was on the defensive line and my job was to rush the quarterback. Anyway, at practice one day I was practicing my rush, and I ran smack into our center who’d been the center on his college team. He was huge!

      I bounced off him and he caught me in mid-air so I didn’t hit the ground, thank goodness.

      Too bad you didn’t have a beer in hand when you were playing first. You could have dumped it over that fellow’s head to help him cool down. ;-) Perspective is so important!

    • 15.2
      Beth Andrews says:
      May 21, 2012 at 3:10 pm

      Kristina, your comment about the awful red pants had me smiling. When I played softball as a teenager, our pants were white. Bad. Choice.

      But we had red jerseys *g*

  16. 16
    Jeanne Adams says:
    May 21, 2012 at 11:31 am

    Hi Ellen! Welcome to the Lair! We’re so glad Beth invited you to hang out today.

    I love sports. I ran track, but it was all during those awkward growth years and so I was more goose than swan. ha! I played a LOT of football and basketball with my brothers however, which has helped me in going one-on-one with my sons. Grins. My eldest is about top me in height, but he’s not as sneaky so I still can out-game him sometimes. Snork!!

    I loved your description of the game. I can so see that. And I remember it being that way, even when I wasn’t participating. Now, the girls are right there with the guys on the fields. My eldest plays baseball and up until league rules split the sexes, the best pitcher on the team was a girl. He had a lot of respect for her, and it warmed my heart. :>

    I did play softball some later, and flag football too. I’m fairly competitive, however, and found that if most were just doing it for the beer afterwards, I wasn’t as keen. Haha!

    • 16.1
      Ellen Hartman says:
      May 21, 2012 at 12:24 pm

      Hi Jeanne,

      Yes, I love watching the girls play sports with my boys. My son’s hockey league has some incredible female players.

      About the only game I’m still able to compete with my kids in is HORSE on the basketball court. Maybe Ping Pong?

      I played flag football on a team that was very serious in a league that wasn’t quite as serious. It made for some interesting match ups. I also liked playing Ultimate Frisbee as an adult because it seemed to be able to accommodate all levels of intensity.

      Have fun with your boys while you’re still the boss!

    • 16.2
      Beth Andrews says:
      May 21, 2012 at 3:13 pm

      Jeanne, I’d probably be one of the ones playing for the beer *g* But then, I’m not very competitive ;-)

      • 16.2.1
        Ellen Hartman says:
        May 21, 2012 at 5:08 pm

        Nothing is better for celebrating a sweet win or mourning a close loss than a cold beer.

        I think I’m equally devoted to competition and beer afterward. :-)

  17. 17
    Janga says:
    May 21, 2012 at 12:09 pm

    I too loved The Long Shot. Basketball seems less popular with romance writers than hockey, football, and baseball. I wonder why.

    I taught high school for fifteen years, and while the coaches of the school teams were hired for their expertise, I know a lot of women who ended up as advisors for activities they knew nothing about because they cared about the kids and were willing to invest time and effort to do what was needed.

    My own athletic activities were limited to individual sports such as biking and swimming and to community pickup games, recess, and PE classes. I was a nerd before the word was coined but was saved from the dreaded last-to-be-chosen-for-the-team status by my lifelong BFF, a super athlete who always insisted I be chosen immediately after she was. I also grew up cheering for my brother, a natural athlete who played baseball from Little League through high school, was All-State in football and basketball in high school, and was All-SEC and All-South in college football. I still love rooting for my favorite teams from the pros through the grands’ soccer, baseball, football, and basketball games. I’m also a fan of SEP’s Chicago Stars and Rachel Gibson’s Chinooks.

    • 17.1
      Beth Andrews says:
      May 21, 2012 at 3:16 pm

      Hey, Janga! That’s a good point about basketball not being as popular as some of the other sports. Now I’m doubly glad Ellen wrote The Long Shot *g*

      • 17.1.1
        Ellen Hartman says:
        May 21, 2012 at 5:06 pm

        That’s an interesting question. I know why I picked basketball…

        My dad played basketball and it changed his life. There’s always been a romance to the sport for me because of its place in our family mythology. Then I grew up in a basketball town so I knew what those Friday night packed gym experiences felt like.

        Honestly, though, the real reason I picked basketball was because I knew I’d be writing coaching and game scenes. I needed a sport for which I understood the beauty and how it feels to play, but also the rules and at least a bit of strategy. Basketball was the only one that qualified!

        • 17.1.1.1
          Beth Andrews says:
          May 21, 2012 at 9:03 pm

          Love that basketball meant so much to your dad, Ellen! My husband played The Big Three in high school and basketball was his favorite. He had a really great coach and really enjoyed the sport *g*

  18. 18
    Ellen Hartman says:
    May 21, 2012 at 12:28 pm

    Hi Janga,

    I’m thrilled that you enjoyed The Long Shot! Thanks. :-)

    I had exactly that same kind of best friend. What a life saver. She not only made sure I got on teams, she got me a date for the prom. (My “awkward” phase was pretty extensive.) ;-)

    It must have been a thrill to watch your brother have so much success.

    Oh, you had to mention the Chicago Stars when I’m at work and can’t pick up Natural Born Charmer. Sigh. I love those books.

    Thanks again for letting me know you liked the book!

  19. 19
    Minna says:
    May 21, 2012 at 2:50 pm

    If you don’t take the sports lessons at school into account (where we did all kinds of stuff), no, I didn’t play any sports.

    • 19.1
      Ellen Hartman says:
      May 21, 2012 at 4:52 pm

      Hi Minna,

      Like my heroine, Julia, I have a broad view of what qualifies as “sports.” I was especially fond of some of the games we played in gym in elementary school. I’d bet most of them would be outlawed now as too horrible for children, but I loved them. :-)

      We didn’t have very good facilities where I went to school. I’m amazed at the types of things my sons do in their gyms classes. (They even have a Wii room where they can play Wii dance and sports games!)

    • 19.2
      Beth Andrews says:
      May 21, 2012 at 5:04 pm

      I always enjoyed gym class and really loved when we got to play racquet ball. I could’ve lived without dodge-ball though *g*

      • 19.2.1
        Ellen Hartman says:
        May 21, 2012 at 5:29 pm

        See racquet ball would have required racquets and my school didn’t have fancy stuff like that.

        I think relay races were my favorite.

  20. 20
    Nina says:
    May 21, 2012 at 3:34 pm

    This was a great post. I think it’s important to pay tribute to the people who “step up” to help kids, whether it’s being a coach, a den mother, a scout leader, whatever.

    As for sports, well, I’ve never been athletic. I was one of those kids who back in the bad old days, when the gym teacher let kids pick their teams, was always one of the last selected. Boo hoo–I’m still recovering! I wish things had been different, because I think sports are great things for kids to be involved in. It helps foster good sportsmanship, team spirit and self-confidence. It’s too bad that in some cases, the kids are better sports than the adults in the stands!

    Looking forward to reading your book, Ellen!

    • 20.1
      Ellen Hartman says:
      May 21, 2012 at 5:00 pm

      Hi Nina,

      You’re right about kids being better sports than adults sometimes. I’ve been incredibly impressed by the education my kids have gotten about fair play and inclusion, acceptance and celebration of different abilities in their public schools. I’m so hopeful for this new generation of kids when they become parents!

      It’s too bad I couldn’t have shared my super-athletic best friend with you back in grade school. She could have picked us both for her teams!

      I hope you’ll like the book!

    • 20.2
      Beth Andrews says:
      May 21, 2012 at 9:06 pm

      Nina, some adults do act badly and it’s tough to take. Luckily, I’ve witnessed quite a few acts of kindness and good sportmanship from the kids playing *g*

  21. 21
    Nancy Northcott says:
    May 21, 2012 at 4:02 pm

    Ellen, welcome to the Lair! I swam growing up but didn’t play any team sports. There were no team sports for girls, then. Besides, I have no foot speed. I was always growing, too, so I never knew where my body was in space.

    My dad taught me to hit a hit, field, and throw a softball. I could get on base without speed because during games at recess because I could hit (and throw) farther than any other girl in the class.

    Daddy also put up a regulation-height hoop in the back yard, so even though I wasn’t fast, I had a good outside jump shot and was tall enough to see over most defenders. I still like to shoot, but using the boy’s goal now.

    As for sports books, I like Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ Chicago Stars. I have two Kathleen Gilles Seidel books that involve sports. The hero of More Than You Dreamed is a former Division I college basketball coach. The heroine of Maybe This Time is a sports agent. I have one of Regina Hart’s books and am looking forward to reading it.

    • 21.1
      Beth Andrews says:
      May 21, 2012 at 9:09 pm

      Nancy, it sounds as if you got to spend some great quality time with your dad even if you didn’t have the opportunity to play on an organized team. I have fond memories of my husband and I playing baseball with our kids in the front yard *g*

  22. 22
    Ellen Hartman says:
    May 21, 2012 at 5:03 pm

    Hi Nancy,

    I spent a season on the swim team in high school and it gave me the utmost respect for anyone who can do that sport. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done!

    I haven’t heard of the Kathleen Gilles Seidel books you mentioned, but I love her writing. I’m going to mark those down. My mom and I like to share her books so maybe you’ve given us our beach reads for this summer! I’ve already read all of the Stars books. (Drat.) :-)

  23. 23
    Snookie Mello says:
    May 21, 2012 at 5:36 pm

    Never played organized sports as a child/adolescent, but I did wants I was in my 20s. We grew up on a farm and were really tied to farm chores. We did play unorganized baseball and volleyball though. Mostly family games When I was in my 20s I started paddling Hawaiian outrigger canoes and playing in a women’s softball league. Our softball team was called Excuuuse Us. We were just a bunch of women that wanted to play ball. It was fun and we had a great time playing. I also joined a mixed league which just played on Sundays. We never had any practices. Just showed up to play. Just had a good time playing I stopped playing when my son was born (no time). I do miss the companionship though.

    • 23.1
      Ellen Hartman says:
      May 21, 2012 at 8:12 pm

      Hi Snookie,

      I’d love to have a ride in one of those canoes. They look magnificent. Maybe if I get to Hawaii to visit my friends someday. Your team name is very funny. I also quit playing team sports when my kids were born and I also miss it. Maybe this is what I’ll rediscover now that my boys are teenagers!

  24. 24
    Anna Campbell says:
    May 21, 2012 at 5:56 pm

    Hi Beth! Hi Ellen! Ellen, welcome to the lair and congratulations on the release of the Long Shot. I have to say I laughed at your post – although the memories it brought back were mainly pretty miserable. I was just hopeless at sport. No coordination at all! I did a lot of scoring!

    • 24.1
      Ellen Hartman says:
      May 21, 2012 at 8:16 pm

      Hi Anna,

      Glad the post made you laugh. It was a very sad sack sports experience. I originally included info about my first basketball team which was even worse than my baseball team. I had to take it out for space, not because I was trying to save face. Promise. :-)

      My basketball team had a play which we called Total Confusion that involved everyone on the team falling on the ground in pretend faints. Our best ball handler would then sprint for the basket while our opponents were “totally confused.”

      It was an excellent play, but was only good for one basket per game…still, one is better than zero!

      • 24.1.1
        Anna Campbell says:
        May 21, 2012 at 8:19 pm

        Oh, man, that’s hilarious! Sometime we’ve got to get together and share sad sack sports experiences! I once completely accidentally clouted my PE teacher with a metal softball bat. She’d been so awful to me throughout my school days that nobody who was there has EVER believed it really was an accident. Truly, it was!

  25. 25
    Beth Andrews says:
    May 21, 2012 at 9:13 pm

    Ellen, just wanted to thank you again for spending the day with us and for being such a fantastic guest! Loved hearing everyone’s sports stories :-)

  26. 26
    bn100 says:
    May 21, 2012 at 9:27 pm

    Nice post. I didn’t play sports and don’t have a favorite sports book.

  27. 27
    chey says:
    May 21, 2012 at 9:58 pm

    I played some sports on school teams so I could get the time off school for the tournaments. I also coached skating. I don’t have a favourite sports romance.

  28. 28
    Pat Cochran says:
    May 21, 2012 at 10:10 pm

    Our Dad was the sportsman of the family, into
    soccer & baseball. All nine of us played at
    sports but were not on organized teams, as
    in Little League, etc.

    As for sports romance, in high school I was
    approached by one of the varsity football
    team members. I was a shy senior drill team
    member, thrilled that this very cute fellow
    was interested in ME! He walked me to my
    classes, called me every night, & he drove
    me home after football games. At the end
    of the season, he dropped me by taking up
    with a younger girl! I guess I wasn’t accom-
    modating enough for him!! For years, my
    favorite epithet was “Football Players!”

  29. 29
    Ellen Hartman says:
    May 21, 2012 at 10:53 pm

    Hi Pat,

    I’m glad my fictional romance heroes have better manners than that football player.

    Nine kids! No need for an organized team when you have one right there at home. :-)

  30. 30
    Mary Preston says:
    May 22, 2012 at 3:33 am

    I used to play a lot of social tennis when I was younger, but I have now switched to walking for my ‘sport’.

    I’m not a big sports fan, but I do love watching the Olympics. I find myself watching some of the oddest sports.

  31. 31
    Aline Tobing says:
    May 23, 2012 at 12:48 am

    I used to play basketball when I was in junior high and high school. I love the game but too bad, I haven’t got the chance to play again after finishing high school. College and now, my work takes a lot of time and energy lol..

    My fave sports romance would be Match Me If You Can by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Well, I know that the hero is not actually an athlete but I can’t think of any other sports romance I enjoy more :)

      

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