Sophomore plays against Dominican National Team
Mia Tinsley spent a week abroad over holiday break playing softball
By Michael V. Hannigan
It didn’t start out like the trip of a lifetime.
Athens softball player Mia Tinsley, 16, sat on the runway in Dallas waiting for her plane to take her to the Dominican Republic so she could do what she loves most, play ball. She waited for two hours. Then changed planes and waited some more.
Mia eventually had to board five planes, miss her connecting flight in Florida, fly to New Jersey, and spend three hours in a hotel before jumping on another plane finally headed toward her destination.
But it was worth it.
Mia spent a week in December with the American Based Sports Abroad program playing softball in the Dominican Republic.
“It was incredible,” she said. “It’s such a cool environment to be in.”
She earned her spot on the team by battling against 60 other girls in an invitation-only tryout.
The highlight of Mia’s week was playing the Dominican National Team. She said there were about 200 spectators on hand, and the music was loud with an announcer who was running around the field with a microphone.
“You couldn’t hear the person next to you because he was so loud,” said said with a smile. “The speaker was on top of our dugout.”
Despite the festivities, Mia’s team beat the Dominicans 5-0 with Mia going 3-for-3 at the plate while playing second base.
A bonus for Mia was the chance to reconnect with an old friend. Former TVCC Lady Cardinal softball player Alondra Vasquez plays for the Dominican National Team.
“I love her so much,” said Mia. “She was playing with the Lady Cardinals when I started taking lessons from the TVCC coach. She was the only person I could not throw with because she threw so hard. She’s incredible.”
“She was just having the best time that you could ever see anyone have playing the sport,” Mia added. “She's just like a ball of sunshine and it's so fun to watch her.”
That joy was something that Mia brought home with her.
“I’ve never been in a game where (the spectators) were so happy to be there, where they're so genuinely happy to see people playing,” she said. “I've been to chippy games. I've been to happy games, but I've never been to a game that I've played in that has had so much interaction.”
The impact of being in the Dominican Republic went deeper for Mia, because she also noticed the things that we sometimes take for granted.
“I have so many opportunities and so many things that I used to train that they don't,” she said, “and they're just as good if not better because they work harder. When their shortstop is just as good as me but we had to give her a glove, or we have to give them gear or cleats. I have all of that, but we’re on the same level.”
Mia plans to take both a renewed effort — and a joyful spirit — into her sophomore season with the Athens Lady Hornets.
“I’m thrilled about going into the season,” she said. “I love high school; I really do. I’m proud to be a Hornet.”
So next time you see Mia, she’ll probably be on the softball field, working hard and doing what she loves. The Lady Hornets have plans on winning a playoff series this year, after all.
But she might also have a rubber chicken in her hands. Or a pool noodle. Go ahead and ask her about the pool noodle’s name. She’ll tell you. And don’t forget to play the music loud.
It’s all part of the fun.