News and Tribune

 

By MATT CRESS

Chelsea Jordan just seems like she’s in a big hurry on the softball field. In reality, she enjoys every moment spent playing the sport to which she’s devoted much of her life.

A single-sport star in an era where many athletes feel pressured to divide their talents across many different arenas — even in the same season — the New Albany senior has been rewarded for her single-minded pursuit. She has signed to play softball next season for the University of Louisville.

In the meantime, Jordan’s farewell tour with the Bulldogs has been a successful one. New Albany is currently 12-2 on the year, giving hope that Jordan could capture the first sectional title of her tenure.

As part of its continuing “On the Spot” series, The Tribune and The Evening News spoke with Jordan about such varied topics as her love of the game, playing for legendary Bulldog coach Jacque Hunter and her role in developing talent as an upperclassman.



QUESTION: So what’s your history with softball?

CHELSEA JORDAN: “I’ve played since I was five or six, but I just went to year-round two summers ago.”

Q: I would assume you are on a travel team?

JORDAN: “Yeah, the team (the Louisville Sluggers) plays all around the country.”

Q: How do you get hooked up with a team like that?

JORDAN: “When U of L first started looking at me, they said I had the talent but needed more experience. So their head coach put me on that particular team.”

Q: Is Louisville the school you always hard your eye on? What was your process?

JORDAN: “When I was first deciding whether I wanted to go to a small school or a big school, the way you get a feel for it is through camps. So I went to the U of L camps and through that I caught their eye. They decided to look into me a little closer and it just worked out that way.”

Q: Did you look at other big programs?

JORDAN: “I looked into Tennessee, but I went to a camp there and just decided it wasn’t the place for me. When U of L was looking into me, I still wanted to keep my options open. Georgetown College and Saginaw Valley State and a couple of smaller schools in Florida showed interest, but U of L was the surer fit.”

Q: What were you looking for in a college?

JORDAN: “My family is full of big U of L fans and my cousin ran track and cross country there, so that was a push in that direction. Anyone who has ever been there knows that it is one of the best programs in the country — academically, the training facilities, all of it is top-notch. Plus, the athletic director is definitely for women’s sports. They care as much for females as they do for males. Softball as a sport doesn’t get enough recognition as it is, but there it seems like it does.”

Q: What made you fall in love with the game?

JORDAN: “It’s very strategic, whether you are on the mound or at the plate. Everything you do has a cause and effect.”

Q: So I guess that was enough for you to want to do it full-time?

JORDAN: “I grew up playing all sorts of sports. I’m from Kentucky and I didn’t move here until before my sophomore year. There, it’s a little different. By middle school, I could play varsity so I did that in seventh, eighth and ninth grade. Besides that, it’s just a game that fit my personality. I like to play mind games with the pitcher, I like to keep the other team on their toes. To have full control like that, this is the game you play.”

Q: Do you want to see this out to the highest level? Is professional softball something you’d be interested in?

JORDAN: “Professional softball is kind of weird. You have maybe 10 teams, but it actually may work out better because you only play in the summer. The other months of the year, you can have a full-time job and you can do the thing that you intended to do with your major. If you can handle it, it’s the best of both worlds.

“If I work hard, I feel like I could do it. It’s all about how you apply yourself in college. I think you could say it’s a goal of mine to continue playing after college.”

Q: A lot of athletes say they want to stay around sports after they graduate. Perhaps in sports medicine or something like that. What are your plans?

JORDAN: “No, not sports medicine, but I’d like to stay around athletics. For me, It’d be more like sports sales, like working with Adidas to make sure teams are fully equipped and that they look good while they’re out there. It’s called the SPAD program at U of L — for marketing, sales, agents athletic directors and things like that.”

Q: You got to play for a guy that is pretty legendary in the local softball community in Jacque Hunter. What did you learn from him?

JORDAN: “Like I said, I came over from Kentucky and things had always been very laid back. Stern, but not very in-your-face. Jacque was not scared to yell at you across the field. It could make you very nervous and sometimes put you in a panic. But he always meant well and he knew the game. I think what that taught me was to always keep my composure in the field and it’s a lesson I learned very well.”

Q: You guys took quite a blow this year when you lost (starting pitcher) Faith Griffaw. What’s that been like and you are excited to have her back?

JORDAN: “She should be back in nine days, so we’re excited about that. Brittany (Kaiser, Griffaw’s replacement) has done a very good job. I think the difference is that there is a level of comfort we have with Faith just because we’re more used to it.”

Q: You guys are pretty young and I think it’s safe to say you’ve struggled against the better competition this year and that’s to be expected. How do you overcome that and win a sectional title?

JORDAN: “I’m a realist and I’ve looked at it from every aspect. When we play smaller teams, we do tend to play our best and when we face tougher competition, we fall back. To take a sectional title, we’ve got to realize that we’re going have to beat a pitcher who throws harder, who has better stuff. Everyone has to come together and decide that it doesn’t matter what we’re facing — we need to do what we need to do. When you’re young, the biggest problem is that you get timid. New Albany is going to be very good in the two or three years when all this talent has the experience.”

Q: As a senior, what’s your role in that?

JORDAN: “I think sometimes I’m too vocal. I’m a reminder, but once I’ve done that and nothing changes, I can get after people. I think I’ve seen a lot of softball in my life and I like for things to be perfect. It’s hard to realize that you’ll never have perfection.”

Q: Do you ever get away from the sport?

JORDAN: “I work at Texas Roadhouse and a lot of my friends work there, so it’s a good place to get away from softball for a while. I haven’t worked quite as much this year because of softball. But, yeah, if I’m not with the team or at work, I’m at U of L watching them play.”



CHELSEA JORDAN

SCHOOL: New Albany

GRADE: Senior

SPORTS PLAYED: Softball

PARENTS: Kimberly and Marcus Jordan