Central Michigan University Athletics
Olympic Notebook With Asst. Softball Coach Margo Jonker
9/26/2000 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Sept. 26, 2000
Q: What was the gold medal game like?
A: We just came home from the gold medal game. It was awesome. As the song goes "We are the champions of the world." We were down 1-0 on a fourth inning home run off a Lisa Fernandez change-up that was a line shot still going up over the center field fence. The ball was flying off the Japanese bats, even on check swings -- what are those bats made up is the question. We tied it in the fifth and waited until the eighth inning to win it. It was sooooo exciting. It had started raining in the eighth inning and was raining hard from the end of the game through the medal ceremonies. But the rain did not stop the excitement of the moment!
Q: What was it like to come back and beat the three teams you lost to in pool play?
A: What a story -- going from losing three to winning the gold medal. Watch for a Sports Illustrated front page story. It may be the greatest comeback since the 1980 Ice Hockey Team. Our players really believed all along that they would win the gold. There were doubters, but not ever the players. After our three losses people were ready to try anything. One of the banners hanging from the bleachers starting appearing upside down. The fans who placed it that way decided to since we were down under. Obviously the problem was that we had to start hanging everything upside down to really make it right side up. They claim they turned our fortune around.
Q: How do your responsibilites change as first base coach?
A: When I return to Mt. Pleasant I will return to coaching from the third base box. Coaching at first base, as I do for the Olympic team, is so different. After being on the left side of the field, forever, reading plays from the right side is strange. It took a while to adjust. It is harder for me to judge the distance the ball lands from the line. I haven't been able to help the umpire judge fair and foul balls as well from the first base side. I know they miss my help. But I can help more with safe and out calls there. Actually I don't think they really need any help calling "out" so I just try to help on occasion with the safe ones. The most difficult thing is determining if the second baseman is going to run a pick off play when covering first or is just on the way over early to cover on the sacrifice bunt. That has been the challenge. Coaching first is OK, but I'll be happy to get to the third base box within a week.
