Hutchins 'Overcome With Emotion' by Virtual Softball Academy for Breast Cancer
5/5/2020 12:45:00 PM
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Lexie Blair demonstrated how to catch a softball at the warning track while approaching a wall or fence. But instead of doing it at Alumni Field, the University of Michigan's star outfielder did so in front of her garage door in the Orlando suburb of Winter Garden, Florida.
That setting selected while quarantining is where Blair contributed to the instructional videos Wolverine softball head coach Carol Hutchins summoned from her players as an important component to the Michigan Softball Academy – which for the 11th consecutive year is finding ways to raise money and awareness for breast cancer research.
"We had Meghan Beaubien showing how to throw the changeup and Alex Storako demonstrating the rise ball," said Hutchins, noting her two outstanding pitchers. "Lauren Esman showed them how to have rhythm in their swing and the drill we do for that.
"Everyone had a skill and a drill to share. We told them it had to be a minute or less, and they stepped up very well. They prerecorded myself and (women's basketball coach) Kim Barnes Arico, our honorary chairman this year, along with our master of ceremonies, Ira (Weintraub of WTKA-AM, Ann Arbor). Then we had a social mixer and I spoke of the purpose of the academy, and tied the American Cancer Society into what they were doing with COVID(-19)."
Guest speaker Jen Edwards, a close friend of Barnes Arico, was next in the program.
"She just recently faced her last radiation treatment for breast cancer," said Hutchins. "She'd been a member of several previous academies, and she hit it out of the park. She talked about how cancer doesn't care about COVID, and that there is still cancer. And how great and fortunate it was that she was able to be at the University of Michigan (hospital's cancer center) and how wonderful the folks were to her, and how the American Cancer Society provided them things like scarves to make them as comfortable as they could be.
"She said it was so heartwarming that, ultimately, it was one of the best things that ever happened to her."
The program, usually held at the Donald R. Shepherd Softball Center, was videotaped and lasted just over one hour. Hutchins said it will be available for viewing at www.msoftballacademy.org until (Thursday) May 7, when online bidding on special items and services in a silent auction concludes at 8:20 p.m. EDT.
"They can still bid on a basketball experience with (Coach) Juwan Howard and a softball experience with Carol Hutchins and her team and some signed basketballs, golf lessons (from Michigan women's golf head coach Jan Dowling), and all sorts of cool stuff (such as the pink game jerseys seniors were to wear in a game this year)," said Hutchins, who also is auctioning off a lunch with her. "Going into this week, we were closing in on $90,000 raised. We're having a late push and it's just been outstanding."
She said they typically raise about $150,000 annually and surpassed the $1 million mark over the first decade. They were hoping for $50,000 this time.
"We are over-the-moon happy," said Hutchins. "Going into it, we said, 'You know, it really isn't about fundraising this year. It's about the spirit of the academy.' And we found the spirit of the academy is alive and well. Whether people have a lot to give or a little to give, they want to give."
Also available at the website are 11 limited-edition pink and white basketballs autographed by Barnes Arico for a $500 donation. Autographed balls by Howard, Wolverine football head coach Jim Harbaugh and former basketball coach John Beilein also are on the auction block along with an autographed hockey stick and puck from Michigan coach Mel Pearson and a 2008 NHL All-Star game No. 13 jersey autographed by former Detroit Red Wings star Pavel Datsyuk.
Hutchins said the academy was held in the early evening of April 23, and "we had about 150 people join us on a Zoom call" during which many of them became participants.
"We saw somebody throwing a rise ball in their living room with Alex Storako teaching to see if she could do it," said Hutchins. "But, basically, they watched and couldn't participate a whole lot. But some of them had a glove on and were working on bending their knees to take a ground ball. I'm certain of that."
Hutchins said "the key to the academy" having such spirit are the 16 team captains who received a pep talk from Hutchins prior to the program.
"Cathi Duchon is the captain of the captains," said Hutchins of the retired CEO of the Ann Arbor YMCA. "She keeps them so motivated and on board and involved."
Hutchins said the plan to have captains, who are a big part of academy organization, meet in Zoom breakout rooms with her players didn't work out, but a Q&A session with the student-athletes was a big success.
"What we've found," said Hutchins, "is that little blips aren't going to bother us anymore.
"I honestly feel like this has been our biggest win of the season without a doubt. I was overcome with emotion like I never have been. I've always been exceptionally grateful for this academy being such a great experience for our student-athletes to give back to our community and our fans. But it's even greater this year because we were looking at it through a different lens. I was really overcome at just how giving the public was, and how much people wanted to make this go.
"We asked if this was appropriate to do during COVID, and everyone said, 'Yeah, let's do it!'"
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