The Olympian

Issue date: 4/9/08 Section: Sports

Jeff Robinson

By Jonathan Bowers
Staff Writer

Despite a revolving door of coaches through the off season, the Olympic College softball team is off to a good start and has high hopes for the rest of the season.
As it stands the girls' softball team is 5-5 but they are full of confidence for the rest of the season.
Team captain Niki Winburn said she not only hopes but expects the team to win the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges.
"I would really like to win the division, I think we can do it," she said.
She also said that with good coaching she knows they can beat the number one team in the division, Bellevue, who are 10-2 overall.
The team has had high turnover rate with their coaches recently. Former coach Clay Blackwood left in the off season for an opportunity at a four-year college, which left the softball team with assistant Bridget McKay as the new head coach. She soon left too however, much to the surprise of the team.
"Clay had a meeting and said that he was leaving," said Winburn, "It sucked but I still that we had coach McKay and she just up and booked town with out telling anyone, that kind of sucked, it kind of left us in a hole for a while"
That hole lasted until last years pitching coach, Jessica Cabato stepped into fill the vacant head coaching spot. Cindy Novak was hired to fill the roll as assistant coach and it seemed for a moment as if the softball team was ready to start the season.
Unfortunately Novak left the team three weeks before the season started because she said she could not afford to pay for childcare with what she was getting paid.
Cabato and some of the players said there were also some conflicts between Novak and the team.
"She didn't mesh well with the team," said Cabato, "we'll put it that way."
Both Cabato and Winburn said they felt less tension in the team with Novak gone.
Cabato has had some problems herself fulfilling her coaching commitment, and it's not her two kids or full-time job. She has an undiagnosed medical condition that has prevented her from eating for nearly five weeks. This leaves her low on energy as well as taking up more of her time when she goes in ever four days for IV fluids.
Recently three new coaches, Jeff Robins, Scott Kreifels and Misty Mackie joined the coaching staff. Until their arrival Winburn was in charge of running the drills on days Cabato couldn't make it.
Though she didn't mind helping out the team, having the new help has relieved Winburn. Cabato said she was proud of the whole team and the way they have pulled together and was especially impressed by Winburn's leadership.
"They've showed me that they are a lot stronger than I would have anticipated. Niki is an amazing leader and I put a lot of trust in her with this team."

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