Michelle King: There's Always the Diamond

Vibrant Life, July, 2000 by Pam Mellskog

It must help that the oldest and largest bat biz in the world maintains headquarters just 62 miles down the road from Michelle King's hometown of Lebanon, Kentucky. Why? Because while Lebanon's no Louisville, it turns out sluggers, too. The only difference is material--flesh-and-blood players versus Northern white ash hardwood bats.

In King's case, softball fever started in sixth grade on a slow-pitch Little League team. Today, as a recent high school graduate, the former number 32 Lady Knights outfielder says she plans on practicing this sport well past her prime for the usual reasons: camaraderie and competition. Of course, fresh air figures in as well. And let's not forget the lure of legend.

"Lebanon's really small, so you know everyone," King explains with a telltale Kentucky drawl courteously peppered with "Yes, ma'am"s and "No ma'am"s. "If someone catches a fly ball, everybody talks about it afterward. It's a big deal, even down the road. People will bring it up again: `Remember when I caught your fly ball?'"

King plans on leaving Lebanon this fall for college. But the former softball star says she's hooked on the sport's slides, dives, and endless cat-and-mouse drama. Life after high school wouldn't be as exciting without hollering the occasional "I got it! I got it!" while losing her cap in the wind.

Since few team sports present as many recreational adult participation opportunities as softball, she's in luck. For instance, every summer an active coed community softball team forms in Lebanon. While the team shies away from cutthroat competition, King confirms that her town holds its breath for the season's finale--two days of championship games against local rivals.

Whether in Lebanon or elsewhere, she hopes community leagues will allow her to keep mixing fitness with pleasure. To stay in shape for it, King plays pickup basketball, does callisthenics, lifts weights, and jogs during the off-season. She knows diet counts, too.

Throughout high school King participated in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). Every week she joined between 50 and 100 other Marion County high school students to sing praise songs, read the Bible, talk about God, and fellowship.

Her parents reared her as a Christian, but King credits FCA for challenging her to make a personal commitment as an adult. Now, when she drops a fly ball, fails to steal a base, or bites her lip over losing a game, she says her faith helps her put the inevitable setbacks in better perspective.

"You can't blame God for everything," the teenager wisely says with a resigned laugh. "I usually say a prayer before I go on the field. I tell God that I hope both teams play a good game, that we have no injuries, and that if [my team] doesn't win, I'll understand that even losing happens for a reason." With that attitude, King has clinched a ready-made win--on and off the field--surprisingly early on.

Pam Mellskog is a writer living in St. Paul, Minnesota.