On opening day of the new Decatur Women’s Softball League,the founder stressed that the league is more for fun and philanthropy than competition. (Photos by Bo Shell)" border="1">
On opening day of the new Decatur Women’s Softball League,the founder stressed that the league is more for fun and philanthropy than competition. (Photos by Bo Shell)
Softball’s new kid on the block Decatur native creates women’s league with altruistic twist
Seize the boobs, and the bats and gloves. It’s time to play softball.
It’s a match that can only be made in, well, Decatur.
The 10 teams and nearly 200 women of the Decatur Women’s Softball League kicked off their inaugural season March 16, ushering in a new era in Atlanta’s gay sports.
Softball isn’t new to the scene, of course, but this time it’s with a different twist: all women, mostly lesbians, looking to have fun, help a good cause, and enjoy a big helping of liberation, according to Anne Barr, a longtime softball player and coach, and the lesbian who founded the new league.
“This league is all about fun and not competition,” Barr says. “Some of these women are dusting off their gloves from 20 years ago. This is liberating to play in town. We should be able to play where we live and work and not hide in the fields where the cows live.”
Barr’s altruistic approach to the league comes via a partnership with the Atlanta Lesbian Health Initiative to raise funds for the non-profit and prompt players in the league to consider their health.
That’s where “Carpe Boobem” (seize the boob) comes in, according to Linda Ellis, ALHI’s executive director.
When ALHI expanded its mission from cancer to overall health, the organization committed to creating opportunities for women to make practical changes, she says. Stepping up fitness and exercise was the first priority.
“When Anne came along with the Decatur Women’s League, it was a perfect fit,” Ellis said. “She is creating a league where my partner and I can play. The opportunity to get some exercise and hang out with women in the community can’t be beat.”
On Fridays when the league plays, ALHI highlights breast health by offering information on mammograms and self-exams through its “Carpe Boobem” slogan. They won’t offer exams at the fields, but women can enroll in ALHI’s reminder program and learn more. The agency is also working to create walking teams for breast cancer walks and AIDS Walk Atlanta, Ellis says.
In turn, the softball league donates remaining proceeds from registration fees after operating costs to ALHI.
Barr coached a team in the Hotlanta Softball League for eight years until she finally decided that games on Sundays, when Hotlanta plays most often, kept her away from her church. So eight months ago, she started organizing the Decatur league.
“We shouldn’t have to choose between God and softball,” the Decatur native says.
The new league won’t compete with Hotlanta Softball, which opens its spring season on April 15.
“I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feeling or burn any bridges,” Barr says. “It’s not competing with [Hotlanta Softball] and we wish them the best. The women that are coming out here do not want to play competitive ball.”
Emerson Ross, Hotlanta Softball’s commissioner, says “there will be peace” between the two leagues.
Hotlanta is by far larger, planning to field 44 teams, both men and women, with more than 650 athletes during its spring season this year. The teams are set to fight for Hotlanta’s 12 berths in the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance Word Series in Phoenix in October.
“There is enough softball to go around,” Ross says.
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