Sportsmanship at Its Finest

I usually don’t talk about sports as I believe most sports “stars” do not present the proper role models needed for today’s youths, however this story is the exception.

On Wednesday April 30, 2008 with two runners on base and a strike against her Sara Tucholsky of Western Oregon stepped back up to the plate against Central Washington and did something she has never done before, hit a home run over the center field fence. But when she missed tagging first base the unthinkable happened.

While turning to tag up and continue on her way she suffered a debilitating knee injury causing her to collapse on the field. She crawled back to the plate, and tagged up, where the first base umpire notified her that by rule she would be called out if her teammates helped her, or a pinch runner could be called in and the home run would be called a single. A paradox ensued.

Then the unimaginable occurred:

"Then, members of the Central Washington University softball team stunned spectators by carrying Tucholsky around the bases Saturday so the three-run homer would count -- an act that contributed to their own elimination from the playoffs.

Central Washington first baseman Mallory Holtman, the career home run leader in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, asked the umpire if she and her teammates could help Tucholsky.

The umpire said there was no rule against it.

So Holtman and shortstop Liz Wallace put their arms under Tucholsky's legs, and she put her arms over their shoulders. The three headed around the base paths, stopping to let Tucholsky touch each base with her good leg."

What makes this occurrence even more intriguing is that this act by the Central Washington players caused themselves to lose the game and be eliminated for the playoff race.

Giving up a win to help a fellow player, if that isn’t the epitome of sportsmanship I don’t know what is. Many of our “professional” athletes could take a lesson from these fine ladies.