Where Opportunity Awaits: Local softball players showcase talent at NFA Softball Championship and camp

RUSTON, La. (KTVE/KARD) — Softball players from all over Northeast Louisiana were at the Ruston Sports Complex showcasing their talents at the NFA Softball Championship and Camp.

A camp that allows these young ladies to not only improve their game, but also to catch the attention of many college coaches without breaking the bank.

“It means everything to us because the reason we started the NFA was to give kids an opportunity, at a low cost, to get high visibility and opportunities to move on and fulfill their dreams,” said Palmer.

The National Fastpitch Alliance began hosting camps just six short years ago.

A camp with the goal of getting young softball players on track to take their talents to the collegiate level.

Executive Director Dale Palmer says many talented players have participated in this camp over the years.

He says not only is this a chance to improve their skills, but also a chance for endless opportunity.

“We were talking one earlier today that had come here, no offers and left with two,” Palmer said. “Whether you take them or don’t take them, opportunity is what you are looking for and then what you do with those opportunities is up to you.”

But this event is just as beneficial to college coaches as much as it is for the players.

With multiple teams in attendance for the camp and the tournament in one location, coaches spend less time on the road and more time scoping out talent.

“You spend all your time in a car. You get to watch two or three kids, but if you watch a kid in the north side, you have to go down to Aurora. Well, you’re going to spend an hour and 15 minutes in a car to get there and that’s time that if you are in one location event like we have, you’re spending that hour and 15 minutes watching another kid,” Palmer said. “You don’t have to sit behind a steering wheel and risk getting run over by crazy drivers in big cities.”

Palmer says obviously, being able to provide such an opportunity to these young ladies is something special, but more than that, he enjoys seeing those players live out their childhood dreams.

“My favorite part is when the dream comes true,” said Palmer. “When any kid, as a result of coming here, connects with a coach that has a need for their skillset and they may not have seen them otherwise. And then we look two years from now, three years from now and that kid is playing on television or got an education at a very discounted price and everybody is happy about the process they went through and how things happened. Whether it’s direct or indirect, Ruston has a part in it with this event.”