Sports : Granddaughter of area residents represents U.S. in International Softball event

Andrea Wagoner connects on a pitch during a game in the Dominican Republic.

A Trip to the Dominican Republic was an eye opener for Andrea Wagoner a senior at Geneseo High School. She is the granddaughter of Gerald and Margie Selken of Keystone IA and the daughter of Cindy (Selken) & Tom Wagner of Colona IL.

Andrea had an opportunity to represent the United States in the Dominican Republic at the International Softball Tournament. She was a Northern Illinois Big 12 All-Conference First teamer. Andrea was invited to a try out which was held in Wisconsin with the chance to represent the United States. Andrea said she was really honored that she made the team. Andrea said that there was 100 girls at her try out and that there was three other try-outs that were held.

The United States fielded two teams in the Dominican Republic Competition. The teams were made up of mostly Midwestern players from Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota. The teams traveled to the Olympic Training Center in Santo Domingo for the six game completion which was sponsored by the American International Sports Team (AIST).

The team stayed at a Beach Resort in Boca Chica. When the team wasn’t on the field they had the opportunity to tour and do community service in nearby Quisqueya were she gained an understanding of the people that lived there. The team visited the caves of Three Eyes National Park, traveled to Colonial City where Christopher Columbus landed and visited the City’s open market.

This trip gave her a new perspective on life after doing community service where she saw how two different countries can be. Each day they received about 80 sandwiches, muffins, and bananas. She said the extras they gave to the children who were there and they would take them home to their families so they had something to eat.

They visited an orphanage and she said that this is when she realized how bad it was there when she saw kids without anything and they had no equipment. The girls that played softball were really good but didn’t have any shoes, gloves or hats. Andrea said that there was a parent who had an extra pair of shoes that they gave to a girl.

The United States softball teams put on a softball camp while they was there. Andrea said that she saw some of the best pitching she had seen all year. They gave equipment to the them, and handed out candy to the children who came to watch. Andrea said one of her favorite things was the kid’s reaction to warheads candy. She said they had never had anything that sour before.

She said that even at the resort they had to use bottle water to brush their teeth because the water was so bad she said she couldn’t imagine what it was like in the villages. The trip gave her a new perspective on things in life. She said, “We take advantage of what we have here in the United States and we are lucky to have what we have”.

Andrea has been asked to attend the try-out for next summer.