SOUTHEAST IDAHO 2011

SPARQ TESTING BLOG

The first ever Fast Pitch Northwest prospect camp brought us to Twin Falls, Idaho for an exciting week with some high school athletes from all over the state.  Day 1 featured a handful of talented softballers from the Class of 2011 who came together at the beautiful facilities of Canyon Ridge High School to put their skills on display.  Canyon Ridge, a brand new school and now the second high school in the city of Twin Falls, was kind enough to offer up their amazing new fields for our use.  As the athletes first took the field, they were taken through a very cutting-edge and engaging dynamic warm-up that was previously a foreign concept to them.  Not only did they receive important insights on how to properly warm-up the body before taking the diamond, but the new, eye-opening experience also served as a way for the ladies to calm their nerves, loosen up mentally and start to have fun.

Eager to get started SPARQ Testing, we headed over to the vertical jump first and it was Megan Anderson who wasted no time impressing the group.  The 17 year-old from Bonneville High had an eye-popping 23.2 inch vertical jump, best of the day, while Declo High School's Melissa Carson was a close second with her 22.5 inch leap.  Her Declo teammate, Brinlee Breshears, stepped up to challenge in the next two SPARQ tests as she put up top scores with a 38-foot rotational powerball toss and a shuttle time of 5.13 seconds.  Not surprisingly, she showed how her impressive test scores carried over to the field as she was the only athlete to hit the ball over the fence during batting practice (which she did multiple times).

Not wanting to be outdone by her friend, Melissa Carson blazed through the 20-yard dash with an event-best time of 3.19 seconds, rounding out a head-turning overall performance, which resulted in her 80.49 SPARQ rating. Her overall athleticism translated nicely to the field as she consistently ripped line drives during batting practice and smothered everything that came her way at 3rd base.  Right behind Carson was Hillcrest High School's Cassie Wood with her 72.99 SPARQ rating. This first team all-conference pitcher not only held her own during the SPARQ Tests, but also could seemingly play every position in the field  as if it were her primary one.  Wood demonstrated a genuine passion for the sport, staying late to get some extra pitching in and absorbing all instructions and pointers given to her so this softball slugger can put her talents to good use for the Utah Storm this summer.  Thanks to all the athletes who came out to kick off the Fast Pitch Northwest prospect camps. We look forward to seeing what Idaho's Class of 2012 has to offer tomorrow.

Article written by Colin Fahey (Athletic Trainer).