Softball Facility Renamed In Honor Of Cheryl Condon
ELMS COACH GETS DUE
By RON CHIMELIS
rchimelis@repub.com
CHICOPEE - As far as Louise McCleary is concerned, the naming of the new Elms College softball field was one of the school's all-time easiest decisions.
"When I talk about Elms athletics, Cheryl Condon is Elms athletics," said McCleary, the athletic director of the Division III school that will dedicate its new facility tomorrow.
Condon had an anonymous friend, a donor whose contribution to the $1.7 million sports complex came with the stipulation that the softball field be named for the Blazers' coach
To those who know her, there was no other choice.
"She always says, 'it's not about me,'," said Karyn Palomba, a senior shortstop from Enfield. "But this will be about her. It's nice to see her being recognized."
Elms has been using the new facility this season, but prior to tomorrow's doubleheader against Maine Maritime, the Blazers will formally dedicate Cheryl R. Condon Field.
The field naming was originally planned as a surprise to Condon, and Elms officials studiously avoided referring to the new name prematurely, but word finally leaked out.
Dozens of alumni and friends are expected to help celebrate at ceremonies that will begin at 12:30, a half hour before the first game.
Typically, Condon prefers to talk about the facility itself, which makes the school immediately more attractive to high school recruits.
"I still can't believe this happened," the Elms coach said. "And to have it named for me is amazing. It leaves me awed.
"When I first heard about it, I was, how do I say it, speechless. I still am," she said."
The field, which McCleary calls one of the best for Division III softball in New England, cost about $700,000.
The rest of the $1.7 million project cost went to an adjacent soccer field, giving Elms College a complex for varsity, intramural, classroom and recreational use.
The new softball field also faces to the Northeast, which puts it in compliance with NCAA guidelines and makes Elms a candidate to host a regional tournament someday.
The older players entered the college, hearing talk of a new, modern complex.
"Once they started digging, we started to believe," Palomba said.
"It's been interesting to see the changes here from our first year, and how the school has grown in such a good way," said Christina Giampetruzzi, a senior first baseman from Westfield.
Condon has spanned the history of Elms softball.
In the team's inaugural season of 1986, she served as co-coach, then took over the program in the following year.
Her teams have won 284 games. The Blazers are 11-10 this season.
Condon has also served as Elms athletic director and faculty member.
Work on the softball field was done over a three-month period last summer. McCleary said the entire sports complex took four years of planning, fund raising and construction.
The project was put on hold when Elms president Joachim Froehlich passed away in 2003, and the school was without a president for 18 months.
The president who followed Froehlich, James Mullen, Jr., has been equally supportive, McCleary said.
The current Elms athletes appreciate their role in helping Elms begin a new sports era.
"It was a good situation to come into," sophomore outfielder Kim Lastowski of Turners Falls said. "It's our thing, something we can all look forward to."