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"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."  ~Winston Churchill
 
Whether you are an adult softball player or the parent of a child currently playing softball, Cheryl Halcom has been and continues to be an instrumental part in bringing, developing, and growing softball in the peninsula city.  Needless to say, with Cheryl's guidance and hard work, softball has grown from "rented fields" to a recreational sport that is growing with each season.

Kim Bogert, TCPR Chairperson summarizes all that Cheryl has contributed to our sports programs.  "There are so many sports that wouldn't exist without Cheryl!  She's been instrumental in getting hundreds of women playing softball over the years. She's on her way to hundreds of husbands, wives, moms and dads playing co-ed kickball, and now that she's has set her sights on girls' softball, it will be another successful Tega Cay sport that wouldn't exist without her efforts.  She also makes every kid's heart happy by selling candy at the concession stand at Runde (and every parent's hands warm with coffee during the cold soccer and baseball mornings)."
 
Adult Softball
In reflecting on what Tega Cay softball used to be, Cheryl recalls "back then (1999) the league just rented the fields from the city.  At the time, Kim Effird would meet with the guys' league to manage and run both leagues.  She asked if I would come to one of the meetings. I did and that is how I got involved. I remember the conversation I had with her on the phone where she said that she was nominating me to take it over since she was moving.  Shortly after that the city decided to take over the league and I worked with Charlie Funderburk to help oversee the league."
 
In starting the league, Cheryl and Charlie wanted to make sure that individuals could come in and be placed on a team and didn't have to sign a whole team up. "[Starting a team] is hard to do if you are new to the area. With a few exceptions of letting already formed teams come in, we have evened out the teams for better competition and to allow for individuals to come in and play. It has been a nice way to meet people.  We did something unique here in Tega Cay and continue to do it today," says Cheryl.
 
Cheryl reflects on how organizing the league and tournaments has provided the perfect atmosphere of community and family. For seven years, Cheryl has been organizing tournament parties where players and their families gather to play ball, enjoy food, drink, and a dose of healthy competition.   "We have had women who have come out who have never played before and just like the social aspect of it. [During the tournaments]  I used to set up jumping castles for the kids to make it a family affair. I remember one Fall, it was so cold that I made chicken noodle soup for everyone. This was the type of atmosphere I experienced when I was growing up with my parents. I loved going to those every year."
 
Concession Stand
Not only has Cheryl spent countless hours volunteering as a coach and league organizer, she also runs the concession stands at Runde and Turner Parks.  In the past, several people took a shot at running the concession stand but there was quite a bit of turnover.  So once again, Cheryl decided to jump in and make a difference.  "I really like that I can give kids/adults the opportunity to have a job. It is the perfect job for someone to make a little extra cash. I do it more for the community to have during games than anything else. I am hoping to play an important role with the concession stand at Catawba Park when it is up and running. I have always had an interest in owning my own restaurant someday, but with kids it is not possible, too time consuming, so this just hits upon one of my dreams/interests," adds Cheryl.
 
Adult Kickball
So far we know that Cheryl plays softball, coaches softball, helped organize the softball program, planned numerous tournaments, and runs the concession stands.  We're not finished.  Cheryl was also instrumental in the development of the adult kickball league. One day Cheryl's husband told her that he heard something about adults playing kickball on the radio. He brought the idea up to her in regards to starting a league in Tega Cay and the rest is history.
 
"I mentioned it to Charlie and off we were. I got two other girls from women's softball to help get some teams going. We recruited players from Waterstone, Knightsbridge, and Sutton Place to start the first season off with three teams. The word got out and we eventually had filled to capacity on Friday nights with 12 teams. I remember people always saying, 'kickball...the game we played in Elementary School?' I had to compile a bunch of rules from the internet that I thought would work for our league. Something new always comes into question every season that needs to be reworded or updated but I think we have it somewhat perfected."
 
Girls Softball
This season Cheryl has decided to stop volunteering her time with women's softball and kickball and focus whole heartedly on developing girls' softball here in Tega Cay.

 

After several years of having limited interest in terms of registered participants, Cheryl and others have generated momentum in building the girls' softball program.  In Spring 2008, Tega Cay had enough participants to start a 10U team. As a result of the returning girls from that program, a 12U team was also made possible. Not only has the addition of the two teams been a success largely contributed to Cheryl's efforts, girls softball is now offered as a Fall program as well. "We now offer it in the Fall, thanks to Joey Blethen for getting us into a local league, as well as in the Spring so girls can play year round like some of the other sports do," says Cheryl.
 

 

In looking towards the upcoming Spring season, Cheryl is also excited that a 8U division is being added to the program.  According to Cheryl, adding the 8U team will allow girls to immediately start playing and learning softball, as opposed to baseball which younger girls now have the option of playing.  "The girls still got to play baseball with the boys but I would rather they come in and play with other girls. Through my experience and getting assistance/advice from the middle school and high school coaches, the techniques are a bit different when it comes to hitting and throwing the ball in softball and I have found that I have to break some of the habits that they get from baseball. Therefore, I am extremely excited about having the 8U offered in TC".
 
On Coaching
"Coaching enables me to fulfill the desire I have always had to work with kids. I believe that coaching kids plays an important role in their development and more importantly, a love for the game. Not to mention, keep them out of trouble!! When my daughter and I started getting into the sports programs I noticed that the kids who developed sooner and were bigger at a younger age got much more attention and opportunity than those that developed slower and/or smaller. I do not believe in pushing those kids aside, especially if they love the game. They have many years to grow and become better players and we as a society /community should focus on that rather than always winning."
 
"By being a coach myself, I do understand that if you lose a lot it can be looked upon as a reflection on the coach, and in some cases that may be justified, but all in all a coach needs to make sure that playing the sport is FUN for all involved.  That is what I have tried to do here in Tega Cay. A coach is really just a facilitator/manager, who commits a lot of their time, and it's the parents and players that have to come out and put forth the commitment as well. It has to come from the commitment and attitude of the players and the parents to get out and work with them in the yard or take them to clinics. Make the commitment to come to practice all the time. In my experience that attention and commitment goes along way."
 
 
On the Future
"I want to continue to offer clinics this winter to get us better prepared for the competition in the Spring. I feel that I have great connections and relationships with people who know what they are doing when it comes to softball. Another goal that I have is to hopefully get all of these teams together to form one or two travel ball teams for the more experienced players in the league. The boys have travel ball so why not have it for the girls."
 
"I am always willing to help out and promote fun and exciting programs in our area that get a lot of people involved and out doing something other than sitting around home!"
 
Highlights