If You Give a Girl a Ball

Two familiar names - Taylor Orr (Clark) and Caitlin Chaffin (Petro) - will coach 12U Black together this weekend, leading Audra - Petro's great-granddaughter - and an incredible group of girls.

Granddaughters of UA softball legends who remain our north star - hearts who built something lasting, not just in trophies, but in people.  I’m sure UA historians could tell us the last time a Clark and a Petro stepped onto the dirt together - but the date doesn’t matter.  We can feel it.

For those who know softball in Upper Arlington, you know what a special moment this is.
It's more than a lineup - it's a living connection between generations who believed in community, in kindness, and in kids.

Because the names Clark and Petro mean something here.
They carry with them decades of lessons - the kind you can't find in a playbook.

It was these men - John Petro and Fred Clark - who taught so many of us what it means to lead through sport.  They showed us that if you give a girl a ball - she'll do more than learn to play.

She'll find her confidence.
She'll learn resilience.
She'll discover her voice - and her place in the world.

That old slogan - "If you let me play…" - still rings true today - and we continue to build on it.  Because around here, we've never stopped believing that sport is one of the greatest teachers there is.

I grew up on these same fields - a rec player learning what team really means.
And over time, I've seen what happens when a city builds together - when rec and travel, parents and players, all believe in the same goal: to create something bigger than any one season.

That's how communities grow.
That's how cities win championships.
Not by chasing talent - but by building it.

Over the years, people have dropped off bats, gloves, and helmets on my porch - things their kids had outgrown so another could play. But people have also been dropping off knowledge - lessons about leadership, service, and love for the game.

And now, through the Youth Sport Leadership Certificate, I will finally have a way to pass that love and knowledge forward - to help others build what we've been lucky enough to create here: a community built on heart.

So as we prepare for the 4th Annual Ghouls & Girls Tournament, I can't help but smile at what this moment represents - not just for the girls on the field, but for everyone who came before them.

This isn't just a tournament.  It's a reminder of who we are - a community that keeps showing up, keeps believing, and keeps leading with heart.

Because if you give a girl a ball… she'll do more than play the game.
She'll carry it forward.