49 | You Won't Believe the Impact This Woman Is Having on YOUTH SOFTBALL!

[00:00:00] I'm highly competitive. I had a really bad temper growing up. I learned, and I think it's just because I'm highly competitive. And I learned as I got older a little bit better of how to handle those, but I will never forget it. I didn't strike out very often when I was younger. And I struck out to end a game and I was like 10 years old, 11 years old, and I was pissed. I threw my helmet and I threw my bat. And now I'm so embarrassed even thinking about this, but my dad got ahold of me.

[00:00:30] I threw my hands on the back and forth, and that never happened again. And it was more just his words of, I think I just disappointed him. And I don't think he yelled, I don't think he raised his voice, I just think it was like, essentially what he said to me and I could tell that I disappointed him. That I'm like, alright, lesson learned, never doing that again. But I'm sure, like there's plenty of time. He was my coach, so he was always harder on me, that's a norm.

[00:00:54] Hello, and welcome to Catching You, a dad and daughter softball journey. I'm Rusty, a dad who's been in the dugout and on the sidelines.

[00:01:02] And I'm Lacey, the daughter whose journey through softball has been filled with incredible wins, tough losses, and so many lessons both on and off the field.

[00:01:10] For the past 16 years, we've navigated the highs and lows of softball together, from the local fields to national tournaments and everything in between.

[00:01:18] From the challenges of recruitment during COVID, to the mental and emotional rollercoaster that comes with being a student-athlete,

[00:01:24] we'll be sharing the perspectives of both the parent and athlete, and first-hand experience of the impact of sports on mental health,

[00:01:31] and the importance of support from the sidelines.

[00:01:35] Welcome back everybody to Catching You. I am your co-host, Rusty Hamm, with me and my beautiful daughter, Lacey Hamm.

[00:01:43] Lacey, say hi.

[00:01:45] And then we have another special guest with us today.

[00:01:48] And then I probably should have done it prior to it, but asking how to say your last name.

[00:01:53] Jamie Lop...

[00:01:55] Loprice.

[00:01:56] Loprice.

[00:01:57] Okay, I didn't know if it was like maybe there was some French in there, Lopre or anything like that.

[00:02:02] It's been pronounced every which way imaginable.

[00:02:04] Apparently the B is silent, it's a German thing, but...

[00:02:07] There you go.

[00:02:08] It is Loprice.

[00:02:09] All right, so Jamie Loprice.

[00:02:11] Jamie is the CEO of Alliance Fast Pitch.

[00:02:14] I'm sure a lot of you in the softball world have heard of her and knows Alliance Fast Pitch.

[00:02:20] She is also the host of her own podcast, The Car Ride Home.

[00:02:27] I can tell you some stories of me and Lacey on The Car Ride Home if you want.

[00:02:32] But welcome, Jamie.

[00:02:33] How are you?

[00:02:34] I'm good.

[00:02:35] I'm good.

[00:02:36] I'm excited to be reunited with you guys.

[00:02:39] Reunited, yeah.

[00:02:40] Let me show you real quick.

[00:02:42] I don't know if you recognize that logo.

[00:02:45] I...

[00:02:46] Oh, that's vintage.

[00:02:47] It's vintage.

[00:02:49] 2016.

[00:02:50] The World Fastest Championships.

[00:02:52] That's where we met.

[00:02:54] Yeah.

[00:02:55] Did a while.

[00:02:56] Were you in 14U?

[00:02:59] No, she was the first team.

[00:03:00] In 12 years.

[00:03:01] She was the first champions.

[00:03:03] Tony best great with this team?

[00:03:05] No.

[00:03:06] No, I was on Chris Garcia's team.

[00:03:08] Yeah.

[00:03:09] And that was the year of the Bat Buster sweep.

[00:03:11] All four age divisions.

[00:03:14] Yep.

[00:03:15] Yeah.

[00:03:15] So 12U, we won.

[00:03:17] 14, we had both teams in it.

[00:03:19] Yeah.

[00:03:19] We had Mount Scranius and Campbell.

[00:03:21] And then 16s, we were in it.

[00:03:23] And then Stiff won it in the 18s.

[00:03:27] Gosh, I remember the names of the athletes from 12 to 18.

[00:03:31] I think even, I think Jocelyn was in 18s at that point.

[00:03:35] And the Tiare Jennings, Alyssa Brito group, the younger 14s beat Maya Brady and Charlize

[00:03:43] Palacios in the older 14s.

[00:03:44] I'll never forget it.

[00:03:45] That's right.

[00:03:46] Yeah.

[00:03:46] That was a fun time.

[00:03:47] We'll get into that in just a second.

[00:03:49] What were you going to say, Bais?

[00:03:50] I had Hannah Kaur on my team.

[00:03:53] Yeah.

[00:03:55] Yeah.

[00:03:55] We had some good players on that team as well.

[00:04:00] Jamie, we got a lot to talk about.

[00:04:02] We want to get your journey with USA Fast Pitch and then getting into Alliance.

[00:04:08] Let's rewind a little bit.

[00:04:10] Let's rewind the clock.

[00:04:11] This is a father-daughter podcast.

[00:04:14] So take us in the beginnings when you're growing your relationship with your father.

[00:04:18] How did you get into softball?

[00:04:20] Did you play multiple sports?

[00:04:21] Were you just softball all the way?

[00:04:24] Or this goes through the history of Jamie?

[00:04:26] I am from, I'm from a small town, Texas, Wharton, Texas, which I think explains a lot

[00:04:30] of what I'm about to say.

[00:04:32] But sports was our culture.

[00:04:34] It's what we did.

[00:04:35] My dad, both my parents were, have been huge, huge part of my journey and always super

[00:04:40] supportive.

[00:04:41] But my dad, me and my sister, I'm the youngest of two girls.

[00:04:45] And my dad from day one has treated us independent, as equals.

[00:04:50] He used to tell me, put your britches on the same way that everybody else does.

[00:04:54] And I took that as he, I played with the boys growing up in a small town.

[00:04:59] There wasn't a lot of girls sports.

[00:05:01] And my dad was my baseball coach on the Pirates and the White Sox and the Raiders.

[00:05:05] And I made one switch to softball when I was like eight.

[00:05:09] They needed some more girls to play.

[00:05:10] So my mom coached softball.

[00:05:11] My dad coached baseball.

[00:05:13] I'd play both.

[00:05:14] Then I was like, no way.

[00:05:15] I'm not playing softball.

[00:05:16] I'm going back to baseball.

[00:05:18] And finally in high school, I started playing.

[00:05:20] I decided it wasn't cool to play baseball with the boys anymore.

[00:05:23] So I switched full time to softball.

[00:05:26] And my dad taught himself to pitch underhand so that he could throw me BP.

[00:05:31] And that always sticks out with me.

[00:05:33] And he fell in love, I think more than I did with the game of fast pitch softball.

[00:05:39] Wow.

[00:05:39] That's awesome.

[00:05:40] Do you have any, because there's a story, Lacey came in the kitchen.

[00:05:44] Could have been right around 11, 12 years old, bawling her head off.

[00:05:48] Like, why are you acting this way, dad?

[00:05:49] Because it was after a bullpen session and I was pissed off the way she pitched.

[00:05:54] And the reason why I tell the story is because she was a bat buster.

[00:05:58] There was a lot of pressure on her to perform, right?

[00:06:01] She was with Campbell and Stiff and Chris Garcia.

[00:06:05] So the, her having to perform was important.

[00:06:10] I don't know if it was important to her, but it was important to me as a father, right?

[00:06:13] It reflected.

[00:06:14] So I would get pissed.

[00:06:15] I would angry at her or ignore her.

[00:06:18] And she'd, she came in just one day, just bawling her head.

[00:06:20] I was like, why are you acting?

[00:06:21] So we worked that out, obviously.

[00:06:24] We're now we're doing a podcast together, which is good.

[00:06:26] And is there any, not negative, but your relationship with her dad and how was that?

[00:06:32] My dad is, he's just, he's been, he's supportive.

[00:06:36] He's kind of more of a quiet.

[00:06:38] So he wasn't one to really yell or get mad.

[00:06:42] But I think he noticed early on, I'm highly competitive.

[00:06:45] I had a really bad temper growing up.

[00:06:48] I learned, and I think it's just because I'm highly competitive.

[00:06:51] And I learned as I got older, a little bit better of how to handle those.

[00:06:54] But I will never forget, I didn't strike out very often when I was younger.

[00:06:58] And I struck out to end a game.

[00:07:00] And I was like 10 years old, 11 years old.

[00:07:04] And I was pissed that I threw my helmet and I threw my bat.

[00:07:09] And now I'm so embarrassed even thinking about this.

[00:07:11] But my dad got a hold of me afterwards.

[00:07:15] And that never happened again.

[00:07:16] And it was more just his words of, I think I just disappointed him.

[00:07:20] And I don't think he yelled.

[00:07:22] I don't think he raised his voice.

[00:07:23] I just think it was like essentially what he said to me.

[00:07:27] And I could tell that I disappointed him.

[00:07:29] That I'm like, all right, lesson learned, never doing that again.

[00:07:32] But I'm sure like there's plenty of time.

[00:07:35] He was my coach.

[00:07:36] So he was always harder on me.

[00:07:38] I think that's a norm.

[00:07:40] But I think I'm very fortunate that my dad was so supportive.

[00:07:44] And was always like, he never, he would never say, hey, let's go practice.

[00:07:48] Let's do that.

[00:07:49] I would always initiate it.

[00:07:51] But he would always go.

[00:07:52] My dad never told me no.

[00:07:53] Now I look back, they're like, how cool that.

[00:07:56] Hey, dad, let's go play catch.

[00:07:57] Hey, dad, can you come throw to me?

[00:07:58] We would play in our living room.

[00:08:00] We played this game called One Hop.

[00:08:01] And literally we just for hours be like bouncing a ball or we'd wad up socks and he'd throw socks to me in the living room.

[00:08:09] I don't think my mom loved that game so much.

[00:08:12] But I just think back.

[00:08:13] Those are the memories that I really have with my dad of like how many times I'd ask him if we could go play or practice.

[00:08:20] And he always said yes.

[00:08:22] Very cool.

[00:08:22] Like you.

[00:08:24] Is it like me, Lace?

[00:08:25] Until I turned 50 in my eyesight, until my eyesight started going bad, then I didn't want to catch her anymore.

[00:08:31] Because when I turned 50, she was probably a senior in high school and she was probably getting in the 60s at that point.

[00:08:39] And I didn't want to catch that anymore.

[00:08:42] You do find a catcher.

[00:08:44] Like you have catchers around you.

[00:08:45] You can go find one.

[00:08:47] We'll pay them.

[00:08:49] Well, now it's, now that I go home for a break.

[00:08:54] I'll mostly winter break.

[00:08:55] I definitely have to pitch a lot more.

[00:08:57] But over summer, we'll go long toss or definitely work with my pitching coach.

[00:09:03] Do you want to go to pitching lessons tonight?

[00:09:05] He's not really.

[00:09:07] It's a nine o'clock.

[00:09:09] I don't know if I'm checking anymore.

[00:09:10] It's my bedtime.

[00:09:12] I never pitched.

[00:09:14] So he got off.

[00:09:15] He got off.

[00:09:17] My nieces have now are starting to play.

[00:09:20] And so I can, I'm seeing him do some of the same things a little bit slower that he did with me that he's doing with them.

[00:09:27] I love it.

[00:09:28] Right.

[00:09:29] That's cool.

[00:09:30] Yeah.

[00:09:30] When she stopped hitting, it was great because she was doing hitting lessons, pitching lessons, and then going to EM with Mike.

[00:09:36] And so when she stopped hitting, I was like, thank God.

[00:09:39] I was like, yes.

[00:09:41] Speaking of parents, you do a lot of panels, right?

[00:09:44] With the Alliance, with coaches and players.

[00:09:48] I'm curious.

[00:09:49] Do you do anything with parents?

[00:09:51] Do you have any parent panels where like the appropriate way to act?

[00:09:54] Because as you've been, you've watched many games on the outside and there's crazy parents out there that just don't get it.

[00:10:03] Do you have any parent panels where it's okay, especially when it's like recruiting time and this is how you should be acting?

[00:10:09] Recruiting time?

[00:10:11] We've done a little bit.

[00:10:12] Actually, on my podcast, I had Maria Jennings and talking about her story as a mom with both Telle and Tiare and two different journeys of what they've navigated as a family.

[00:10:22] We need to do more.

[00:10:24] And that's actually been an initiative for us this year, too, of speaking to the parents.

[00:10:29] Because I think it's hard, and I'm not a parent, but I think it's hard.

[00:10:33] I think there's a lot of information out there now, but you don't know what's good, what's not, right?

[00:10:38] And I think they're probably hearing from all over the place.

[00:10:43] So I do not envy the role of parents.

[00:10:46] I think it's really hard.

[00:10:46] I think for the most part, they just really care.

[00:10:49] But yeah, you see the good and the bad.

[00:10:51] I was fortunate and had a really good experience with my parents.

[00:10:54] I've been on teams with that parent that was in the stands.

[00:10:58] But I think it's really important with the Alliance that we do a better job of helping the parents throughout the journey.

[00:11:05] Because they play such a big role in our youth athlete's journey.

[00:11:09] Yeah, and I said it before, they identify if their kid does well, then they identify with that sometimes.

[00:11:17] So if their kid's not doing well, or if they feel like they're being slighted, then they get irritated.

[00:11:23] I don't know if there's any way we can have some sort of, here, just, hey, this is how you need to act, to sort of speak.

[00:11:33] Some parents may not like that.

[00:11:35] They just say, I want to act the way I want to act.

[00:11:37] So anyway, let's get into the USA Elite World Championships.

[00:11:46] How did that, and then Lace, we can bring it to you because you experienced it.

[00:11:51] That was one of your best experiences in your softball career, which is that tournament.

[00:11:55] How did that come about?

[00:11:56] What was the thought process when you first started it?

[00:11:59] I have a couple of comments on it, but what led up to that?

[00:12:02] I know it wasn't overnight.

[00:12:04] It was probably a longer process than we think it was.

[00:12:07] Yeah, to bring it full circle, when I played professionally in the National Pro Fast Pitch, and that's when I was first introduced.

[00:12:13] I did not play for the USSA Pride.

[00:12:15] I played against them.

[00:12:16] But that's when I was first introduced to Dondi Donatus and USSA.

[00:12:20] And as a player, you don't comprehend the events and tournaments and things that you're playing at.

[00:12:26] Back when I played, it was only ASA Gold.

[00:12:29] So I didn't really know what USSA was.

[00:12:31] But that introduction to it, I always kept a relationship with the people, specifically with Don and some of the others inside of USSA,

[00:12:40] because I knew that they were passionate about softball and were investing resources into professional and youth softball.

[00:12:45] So long story short, I went back to my PhD and I was doing my dissertation on, I studied the brands of Jenny Finch and Kat Osterman.

[00:12:54] And the comparison, product, similar, brand, very different.

[00:12:58] So Kat knew what I was doing.

[00:12:59] And I think Kat had introduced or brought up something to Don because they were looking for some marketing help.

[00:13:04] And marketing is obviously a broad concept.

[00:13:07] Through that, I was in academia.

[00:13:08] I started doing a little bit of consulting for USSA, helping with their social media with the pride.

[00:13:13] And then always stayed involved.

[00:13:15] And I learned that they were starting a new youth initiative.

[00:13:18] So at that time, I had gotten a job as a professor at University of Tampa.

[00:13:22] So it wasn't far.

[00:13:24] USSA is headquartered in Orlando, Kissimmee, Florida at the time.

[00:13:27] So I just stayed on and did a little bit of work for them.

[00:13:30] This concept of USA Elite Select was going on.

[00:13:33] I'm like, it's pretty cool.

[00:13:34] Like, maybe I can help, like, from a branding perspective.

[00:13:38] And then a man was leading it by the name of Jeremy McDowell.

[00:13:40] And when I heard some of his visions for it, I'm like, all right, this is pretty cool.

[00:13:44] And so Don called me.

[00:13:47] One, I think it was, like, October, November.

[00:13:49] I was about three months into my job at University of Tampa.

[00:13:52] And he offered me a full-time position to come over and lead some of their youth programming.

[00:13:57] So I said yes, but I was under contract and couldn't actually leave until May of the next year.

[00:14:04] So I finished up my time at University of Tampa.

[00:14:07] And I left that summer to start building USA Elite Select.

[00:14:11] And really, what it was is the elite brand of ESSSA Fast Pitch.

[00:14:16] And so it was a branding concept, which was my background.

[00:14:20] But it also was relationships and building with these travel ball organizations and trying to get some of these top teams to come over.

[00:14:28] When I look at the field of who was in that first World Fast Pitch Championship, from the brand names, the coaches, and the athletes, like, that was legit.

[00:14:38] I think it's crazy now.

[00:14:40] I didn't know any better back then.

[00:14:42] I didn't know any better other than, hey, I really like the concept.

[00:14:46] I think ESSSA is behind Fast Pitch.

[00:14:48] And they put me in charge to lead the effort.

[00:14:51] And I just like building experiences for athletes of something that I would want to do.

[00:14:55] So that was the origin.

[00:14:57] There's a lot of people, a lot of people that were involved in making that happen as well.

[00:15:02] Yeah, we still have relationships with parents from Tennessee Mojo, the Bolts, the Texas Glory, Texas Impact.

[00:15:11] We still community.

[00:15:13] We're like Facebook friends.

[00:15:14] So that experience, not only with our team, just experiencing other teams across the nation really helped our relationship with softball in general, right?

[00:15:26] It's not just SoCal.

[00:15:28] The Tennessee Mojo is a lot of other teams.

[00:15:31] Lace, what was your, describe your experience with that?

[00:15:35] It was a really good experience for you.

[00:15:38] Very distinct memories of getting interviewed after games, it being really hot.

[00:15:45] My, or Coach Chris, he, we all were staying at the same hotel.

[00:15:48] And I think I was riding in their van, like to the games every, like that first day.

[00:15:55] And we did really good in pool play or something like that.

[00:15:58] And he was like, you're riding in the van every single time to the field.

[00:16:02] It doesn't matter.

[00:16:03] Like your parents are going separate.

[00:16:04] You're coming with me to the field.

[00:16:06] And then I remember our game against the Bolts where we, I don't think we lost.

[00:16:13] I think we lost to them before, but then we beat them.

[00:16:17] Cool play we lost.

[00:16:18] We got our butts kicked.

[00:16:19] And about when they beat him in the quarterfinals.

[00:16:22] How do I know that?

[00:16:25] Let's take a quick break.

[00:16:29] If you want to leave us a message, use the link in the show notes.

[00:16:32] And if you want us to respond, leave your name and email address.

[00:16:36] Also, please rate us and, or leave a review as we're trying to grow the show every day.

[00:16:42] Finally, Lacey and I both love coffee.

[00:16:45] We would greatly appreciate any contribution to the show.

[00:16:48] That link is also in the show notes.

[00:16:50] Thank you.

[00:16:51] Take care.

[00:16:55] Where I remember our walk, like our walk-off win against the Vipers to get to the quarterfinals.

[00:17:02] And then we played, what did we play in the semifinals?

[00:17:06] Texas Impact.

[00:17:09] Not the gold, but the team.

[00:17:10] Yeah, I remember this one play at home and then all of my teammates getting videotaped.

[00:17:16] It was like, just the experience of it and then going to the championship and the field

[00:17:21] and trying not to look in the camera when you're in the dug.

[00:17:25] And then obviously there's this one picture of like me and you're holding, or you gave

[00:17:29] me like the MVP trophy.

[00:17:31] I feel like I have that picture somewhere.

[00:17:33] It probably printed out, but I think that's where like we first met, I think.

[00:17:38] We'll bring it up and post it.

[00:17:40] That was on live television.

[00:17:42] That was CBS Sports Network, that game.

[00:17:44] And you guys were at 12, you went first.

[00:17:46] Yeah.

[00:17:47] You, Lacey, were the first ever P of that tournament too.

[00:17:51] It was insane.

[00:17:52] It was, and that game, I remember first inning, I think we were home.

[00:17:57] And one of the girls on Georgia Impact hit like a double.

[00:18:03] And it was a very far double.

[00:18:06] Yeah, who's on?

[00:18:07] Georgia Impact.

[00:18:08] Mackenzie Rudity, who's at LSU, was one of the players on that Georgia Impact.

[00:18:14] Jason Guzai's team, really good team at 12.

[00:18:17] It was one of the sisters.

[00:18:18] There was Twain's, and I think it was the catcher, she had a double down the line.

[00:18:23] Anyway, we could talk about that game all day.

[00:18:25] We can have a mess.

[00:18:26] But what I liked about it, Jamie, and the quote in size was what you're doing with the

[00:18:30] Lions, which is players first.

[00:18:34] And we saw that because you, obviously you're competing with PGF, right?

[00:18:40] You were, I think, two weeks prior to PGF.

[00:18:42] And I don't know if that was planned.

[00:18:44] It was like, we're trying to take the championship, not away, but competition's good, right?

[00:18:48] Especially, that's America, right?

[00:18:51] You have competitive people all the time.

[00:18:53] But what I, what distinctive, just put you aside or set you aside from everybody else

[00:18:59] is the kids first.

[00:19:00] You get, you're doing interviews.

[00:19:02] I remember hashtag, you guys are on a hashtag.

[00:19:05] I didn't even know what a hashtag was.

[00:19:06] And you guys are like, put hashtag this and you win a prize or something like that.

[00:19:10] I don't know if you remember doing that, but this is back in 2016.

[00:19:12] But that's what I really appreciated, which was the kids, the players first, right?

[00:19:19] You're interviewing like, like it's, they're 12 years old, 11 and 12.

[00:19:22] And you're there in this panel and you're interviewing them and asking them questions about the game.

[00:19:27] And which was really cool.

[00:19:29] What, what prompted you to come up with that idea as far as the social media part,

[00:19:35] interviewing them and that kind of stuff?

[00:19:37] It's funny.

[00:19:38] I think a lot of it is just, it's generally, I think I'm a big kid at heart and I was blessed, right?

[00:19:45] I got to play in a women's college world too.

[00:19:47] They're going to play in two of them.

[00:19:48] And I got to be a part of interviews and post-game press conferences.

[00:19:52] And I got to play on ESPN and I thought it was so cool.

[00:19:56] And I thought it was so fun.

[00:19:58] I did, I dabbled a little bit in radio and trying to figure out my career path or what I wanted to do.

[00:20:03] I've always been really interested in marketing.

[00:20:05] I've always been really interested in media.

[00:20:07] And I also, at the end of the day, just like to have a lot of fun.

[00:20:10] And so I thought it was an easy concept.

[00:20:12] I thought it was a no-brainer.

[00:20:13] Hey, you're going to play for a national championship.

[00:20:15] We should do a press conference.

[00:20:17] I think that's the little thing I'm about.

[00:20:19] I watch a lot of sports.

[00:20:20] It would be way too much sports on television.

[00:20:23] And I just thought it was pretty easy to, whatever we're watching and that the pros and the college players are doing, let's just bring that down to the youth level.

[00:20:30] And it'll be so much fun.

[00:20:31] And that's what it is.

[00:20:32] I think it, and again, there's always been people around me, whether it was at HSA or Alliance too, that helped bring all of this to life.

[00:20:39] But for me, I think the athlete experience is so fun.

[00:20:43] And I probably just think, ooh, what would I have liked to do?

[00:20:46] And we...

[00:20:47] Yeah.

[00:20:48] Yeah, it was cool because after Lacey mentioned that I already re-beat Atlanta Vipers.

[00:20:54] Very good team, by the way.

[00:20:55] I think it was only one nothing.

[00:20:56] It was like just a pitcher's duel.

[00:20:58] And their pitcher was like, she's 11 years old.

[00:21:01] She was, I think, 6'2", 6'2", or something.

[00:21:04] But the quietest person on her team got to winning RBI and didn't watch one of your year olds interview her.

[00:21:13] And she's probably the smallest girl on the team.

[00:21:15] Just the picture of her, she's so shy.

[00:21:20] And then being interviewed after the game was a cool picture.

[00:21:22] It's bringing that out, having her answer these questions where she's really...

[00:21:28] She probably was very uncomfortable, but you were able to do that for her.

[00:21:32] I think part of that, too, of realizing, especially nowadays, of what these college athletes are going through, right, Lacey?

[00:21:38] I'm sure you're doing media days and you're having post-game interviews.

[00:21:42] It's the fun experience part, but it's also the preparedness part, too.

[00:21:46] How can we help our athletes be prepared for the next level?

[00:21:50] And part of that is, hey, you got to get used to a camera being in your face.

[00:21:53] You have to get used to being interviewed whether you win or lose.

[00:21:57] Because I'm sure, Lacey, right, you've been interviewed after a loss.

[00:22:01] And it's the last thing that you want to do, but it's part of it, right?

[00:22:05] And so giving those kids that experience at a young age, I always thought that was really important.

[00:22:10] Still do.

[00:22:10] We're still doing post-game press conferences and interviews to this day.

[00:22:14] But I think it's a really important part in just that development of the athlete, too.

[00:22:18] Let's pivot to Alliance into 2020.

[00:22:20] It was a difficult year for everybody.

[00:22:22] And it seemed like you started that up right in the middle of the pandemic.

[00:22:29] Describe, it sounds similar, right?

[00:22:32] It sounds like you wanted to get a lot of the major teams together and form an alliance.

[00:22:37] So how did that kind of come about?

[00:22:40] Yeah.

[00:22:41] In the heart of COVID, I know I walked away from a very secure, very nice full-time position to go on this endeavor and create something new, which is now the Alliance Fast Pitch.

[00:22:53] It was people.

[00:22:54] And it was when I met a lot of those people during U-Triple-SSA and got to know them.

[00:23:00] And I will never forget the first time I met Mike Stitt.

[00:23:03] And Mike and I have become really good friends now at this point.

[00:23:06] But the first time, everyone's got to meet Mike Stitt.

[00:23:08] You got to meet Mike Stitt.

[00:23:09] So I was like, OK.

[00:23:10] So I'm going to go into his facility and go meet him.

[00:23:13] And I brought a couple of Pride players who had played for him and just said, hey, can we come check out what you guys are doing?

[00:23:19] I have a couple pro players here.

[00:23:22] And Mike and I went and grabbed a beer after that.

[00:23:25] And more so, I wasn't selling him on an event.

[00:23:27] I was like, we were just chatting and getting to know each other.

[00:23:31] And that's actually when he decided to come to Kansas City and to bring all four teams.

[00:23:37] I did not know this at the time, but shockwaves sent through youth softball, right?

[00:23:42] That the Batmusters are going to a U-Triple-SSA event.

[00:23:45] And I didn't know any better.

[00:23:46] But him and I kept a friendship.

[00:23:48] Scott Smith and I kept a friendship throughout.

[00:23:51] Kevin Shelton and I kept the same friendship.

[00:23:54] And it was more of a respect for each other and what our passion was.

[00:23:58] And I would say the same thing about that group of people that they really care about the athlete.

[00:24:03] And I really care about the athlete.

[00:24:06] And so the whole reason for the Alliance was our sport is super fragmented at the youth level.

[00:24:12] It's everybody works together.

[00:24:14] Why not?

[00:24:15] Not everybody else, even in conferences and college softball, right?

[00:24:19] They compete on the field, but they have to work together in those conference meetings.

[00:24:23] But NCAA, they have to work together.

[00:24:25] So it was just like, what a crazy concept.

[00:24:27] Let's all start working together.

[00:24:29] And so there was a ton of conversations going on.

[00:24:32] And Texas was the first state to open.

[00:24:34] And they built the Texas Bass Pitch League.

[00:24:36] And then it just grew and evolved from there.

[00:24:39] And in came the Alliance over top of it.

[00:24:43] Thank you, everybody.

[00:24:44] That was part one of Catching You with Jamie Loprice.

[00:24:49] Please check out next week, part two with Jamie again.

[00:24:53] Take care.

[00:24:53] Thank you.