10 - May 13, 2011


Hudson~Litchfield Sports Hudson~Litchfield Sports


Softball Mound Takes a Step Back Windham’s Ashley Adamson unleashes a pitch during a recent home game against Goffstown


by Chris White Let’s face it. In any sport, change is imminent.


No matter how much we love the sports we play and watch, there will always be someone trying to change them for better or worse. These changes usually include rule modifications or even adjustments to the playing field that are designed to reduce one party’s advantage over another in a competitive setting. In recent years, one issue on the


high school softball hot stove has been whether or not the pitching mound should remain at 40 feet from home plate or be moved back to 43 feet


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(where the college mound stands). In 2009, a rule change made by the National Federation of State High School Associations required every state to move the mound back to 43 feet by the start of the 2011 season. This was done to increase offense (hitters have more time to see the ball), reduce the advantage of pitchers (more balls would be put into play for the defense to field), and increase the safety of pitchers (pitchers have more time to react to a comebacker). The state of New Hampshire got on board with the plan this season and the effects of the change have been apparent.


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“State-wide, I think I’ve seen more offense based on the scores I’ve seen,” Windham coach David Hedge said. “I’ve seen more balls put into play this year, so I would agree that there has been more offense.” Now, I know what some people are thinking: What’s the big deal here? It can’t make that much difference. It’s only three feet. But in a game of inches, a difference of three feet can really add up fast and not only have an impact on the outcome of each game, but also on how the game is played because of who it favors. “If anything, the hitters should have more of an advantage,” Pelham coach Todd Lozeau said. “At 43 feet, you give the hitters an extra split-second to see the ball. Every split-second counts.” The only argument contrary to that statement would be pitchers like Salem’s Nicole Gubellini and Valerie Bauer, who both rely heavily on their breaking pitches in order to be successful. “The biggest difference is the ball


movement,” said Gubellini, who sports a 5-0 pitching record for the Blue Devils this season under the guidance of coach Harold Sachs. “It has more time to break at 43 feet. At 40 feet, the ball can’t break as much.” So in the grand scheme of things, a longer pitching distance could be favorable to a pitcher with a good


curve ball, rise ball, drop ball, or screw ball. But at the same time, hitters are able to take more time reading the ball. Naturally, the longer distance is giving hitters more time and pitchers more space. “For pitchers, the longer distance is better for their ball movement and hitters can see the ball for a longer time, so it kind of helps both,” said Bauer, who will pitch at Merrimack College next year.


Probably the most important result


of the change, however, is that it will prepare high school pitchers for the college game. “I’ve always wanted it at 43 feet because it’s a varsity sport and we should be able to play at the same distance the college girls are playing at,” said Coach Lozeau, who is coaching pitchers Hannah Schaffer and Jordan Parece at Pelham this season. And he’s not the only coach who is a proponent of the longer distance. “To have it at 43 feet is good for the game,” said Coach Hedge, who coaches pitchers Ashley Adamson and Rachel Vafides at Windham. “More offense makes the defense work harder and you don’t have as many dominant pitchers as you would have had at 40.” Whether it’s for better or worse, at least it’s the way to go for now.


Salem pitcher Nicole Gubellini delivers to home plate versus Pinkerton earlier this season


Hudson SAU Challenges AHS Athletic Staff to a Game of ‘Horse’


by Doug Robinson “A horse is a horse, of course, of course, and no one can talk to a horse, of course. Unless that horse is the famous horse, the talking Mr. Ed,” went the jingle for a very popular 1960s television show. As the story line goes, Mr. Ed was a talking horse. But to members of Hudson’s School Administrative Unit (SAU) and to members of the Alvirne High School (AHS) Athletic Staff, “A horse is a horse of course …” when you lose at a game of basketball. What started as “smack talk” between AHS Physical Education teacher Betsy Oswalt and SAU Business Administrator Norm Sanborn led to a full-out, no-contact challenge to the basketball game called “horse.”


In horse, the first shooter attempts a shot at the basket and should the shot be successful, the challenger must perform the same shot. Left-handed, right-handed, behind the back, long shots, short shots, bouncing shots, off-the-back board shots, swish shots, and attempted shots from mid- court were fair game for the combatants. Hudson School Superintendent Randy Bell teamed up with his partner, Norm Sanborn, when challenged by Oswalt and Hudson’s District Athletic Director Karen Bonney.


According to Bell, he was a 200- meter runner in high school, while Sanborn claimed to say he remained an “intellectual.”


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In college, Bonney played Division I Basketball as a center, and Oswalt played the center position in both high school and at Plymouth State College. Bonney and Oswalt hit the court


by breaking through a large paper banner, which displayed their team name: Victorious Secret. Complete with matching uniforms, shocks, and headbands, they arrived on the court to the cheers of a sitting room-only audience. Cheerleaders, wearing picture masks of


Norm Sanborn, Betsy Oswalt, Karen Bonney, Randy Bell, and team coach Matt Bonney


both Sanborn and Bell on their clothing, shouted and cheered the girls on. Matt Bonney acted as the Coach for Victorious Secret, complete with the game chalkboard.


Calling themselves Team Animal House, Bell and Sanborn, like two men waiting at the altar, waited an extra 10 minutes as the girls arrived late. Sanborn, still wearing his necktie, continued to practice his inside, outside, lay-up, and hook shots. Bell, saving his strength for the meet, practiced his shot from the top of the basketball key. “They don’t scare us” and “intelligence


always beats raw power,” stated Sanborn. Bell sank his very first bucket, and simply smiled at Bonney. Like the men, Bonney countered, “You don’t scare us.” The first match was over shortly after it


began. Bonney and Oswalt successfully crushed their opponents within 12 minutes. H-O-R-S-E. Not admitting defeat, the teams were switched up for game two, in which Bonney and Oswalt again defeated their male challengers.


Cheerleaders completed their fashion look with pictures of the players displayed on their clothing


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