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Sparta women’s softball league continues to grow
Sparta Women’s Softball League team Pitches Be Crazy, sponsored by The Sparta Pour House, gathers at the ball field with family and friends. (Photo Courtesy: Kris Harms)

Sparta women’s softball league continues to grow

SPARTA, N.J. – The Sparta Women’s Softball League began as a way for a few Sparta women to set aside time for themselves while staying active and having fun. Today, the program has blossomed into a three-season program boasting eight full teams and involving approximately 100 participants. That growth is thanks to Sparta Recreation Director and League President Jeanne Montemarano, who oversees the volunteer sports organization, and player Terri Ramieri, who has been instrumental in organizing and recruiting players online.

This summer’s Sparta Women’s Softball League involved players ranging in experience from those who had never played to former college athletes.  

“You don’t have to be a superstar to join, just willing to learn and do it with a smile on your face,” player Kris Harms explains.  “I had never played softball before on a team. My kids love the game so I knew the basics, but I had plenty to learn.”

According to the Sparta Recreation website, Sparta’s adult leagues “are a fantastic way to get together with friends, family, and/or co-workers and participate in a friendly competition with fellow Sparta residents.”

“You don’t have to know anyone to join,” Harm continues. “ A few ladies on our team came in knowing no one. By the end of the season we were laughing at our bloopers and cheering when we made fantastic plays. We were so addicted to our evenings together that we even started showing up to support the other teams that were playing!  There may have been cowbells. And pom-poms. And megaphones.”

Games are played on weeknights and teams are sponsored by local businesses, keeping costs to a minimum. Although the players are all adult women, entire families tend to get involved in the program in one way or another.

“I have two ball-playing kids who ended up volunteering to keep the book and DJ the team’s walk-up songs,” Harm says. “My husband rarely missed a game. If he had a work call he was taking it on the sidelines. Our cheering section was a sight to see! We had the parents of a full-grown adult woman taking photos of their “kid” playing softball, husbands holding babies, and teens wearing photos of their favorite players on custom t-shirts.”

One of the players on Harm’s team, Pitches Be Crazy, decided early in the season that she couldn’t continue to play due to medical reasons, but she continued to show up in uniform for every game with her own teens. They even volunteered to babysit the young kids of the players. 

“It was a summer many of us won’t forget and we hope to repeat,” Harm concludes.

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