This is the second installment of a two-part series on the new tenants of the Durham Athletic Park-the former home of the Durham Bulls. Last week: the Durham Braves summer college baseball team. This week: the Durham Dragons women's professional fastpitch softball team.
In what is shaping up to be a monumental year for women in the world of professional sports, The Triangle is getting in on the act with its own Durham Dragons-members of the first-year Women's Professional Fastpitch softball league.
The Dragons could be tagged the flagship franchise of the fledgling six-team league as they not only hosted the league's regular season opener but lead the WPF in attendance, a boon in a league heavily invested in fan relations.
"I think we have the best fans out of all the teams in the league," said Gia Wilkerson, Dragons' third baseman and Durham native. "They're here every night supporting us, and they're into the game. They get us motivated. It's great, and I hope they continue to support us because they're going to be what keeps us out here."
The league commenced in 1994 with a series of exhibition games, but the WPF did not begin regular-season play until this year's May 30 meeting between the Dragons and the Virginia Roadsters at the Durham Athletic Park. With the first pitch from Dragon hurler Carla Brookbank, the WPF landed itself in the record books as the first-ever women's professional softball league.
Attendance and media coverage have not reached the level experienced by the two rookie women's pro basketball leagues-the American Basketball League and the Women's NBA-but player sentiment is that the league is well on its way to catching on with fans.
"We're not getting the kind of coverage that the WNBA is getting, but we are getting coverage," said Amy Cole, Dragon second baseman and UNC alum. "I think the league will be better accepted once it expands further and it's not just in the southeast."
The WPF currently boasts teams in just four states: two in North Carolina (Durham and the Carolina Diamonds in Charlotte) and Florida (the Orlando Wahoos and the Tampa Bay FireStix) and one each in Virginia (the Roadsters in Hampton Roads) and Georgia (the Pride in Atlanta). AT&T Wireless Services, the league's primary sponsor actually determined the location of the teams. The sponsor had an obvious gameplan: to build a solid base in one region of the country-while conserving resources on cross-country traveling,-and then expand gradually as the WPF gets its feet on the ground.
Nationally, ESPN2 signed a contract with the WPF to televise six games this season on tape delay. Initially, attendance in Durham has set a strong standard, with almost 2,000 fans for opening night and an average of over 500 since. Attendance around the rest of the league is not as impressive, with Tampa Bay and Orlando struggling the most at the gate. But, with a 72-game schedule that includes 36 home contests stretching through late August, players and front office personnel expect attendance figures to swell throughout the summer.
The fans who have ventured out to the DAP for their first taste of softball are reacting positively to the style of play on the field. When first time viewers of softball draw the natural comparison to baseball, they seem most impressed by the quicker pace of the game, the abundance of spectacular defensive plays and the short nature of the seven-inning contests (Monday night's game against Tampa Bay lasted only 1:40).
For the players, the adjustments to the minor rule differences in the pro league have caused only slight problems. The distance from the pitching mound to home plate was extended from 43 feet to 46 feet, which, according to Cole, caused many players to get ahead of themselves in their swing at the start of the season. With several weeks to adjust, the players seem to have adapted, as evidenced by increased numbers of extra-base hits around the league.
While the Dragons are the league's biggest hit in the stands, they are not faring nearly as well in the standings. With Monday's 2-1 win over Tampa Bay, Durham (8-9) remained in fifth place in the WPF, six-and-a-half games behind first-place Orlando.
Prospects are bright for the Dragons though, as their play has improved dramatically of late, sparked by the contributions of pitcher/outfielder Kate Madden, who last week earned the league's Player of the Week award.
"Actually, I think that we are really picking up our play right now," Madden said. "We started off okay, but we weren't really playing as well as we should've. Now we're really stepping up and putting things together."
Madden continued her tear Monday night as she picked up the win on the mound, her first of the season. She leads the WPF with a .421 batting average.
While Madden acts as a catalyst at the plate, Cole brings professional experience to the Dragons. The King, N.C. native played for the Silver Bullets women's baseball team in 1995, touring the country and playing exhibition games against men's teams.
"Having played with the Silver Bullets, I kind of knew about playing every night and being on the road," Cole said. "That is more difficult for some of the girls who have never done that."
Wilkerson adds a hometown touch to the team. The Long Beach State grad has relished the opportunity to be a part of the WPF's inaugural season.
"It's something that I've always envisioned and hoped would be a possibility-women's professional sports that is," she said. "There never being pro softball before made that a lofty dream, but that dream is now a reality. Then also to be at home, playing in front of not only great fans, but my family, has been an extremely rewarding experience."
With all of the hoopla attached to playing in a first-year league and with the pressure of simply making it as a pro sport, it may seem as though playing to win might fall to the back of players' minds. Make no mistake, however, the women of the WPF are here to win.
"That comes naturally as a competitor," Wilkerson said. "As an athlete, I always have the mindset to go out and give 100 percent. Along with that, comes that competitiveness of wanting to win. Just because we are glad to be here, does not mean we don't go out to win."
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