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| Guttormsen to represent U.S. in softball By Mark Foyer [ markf@hmbreview.com ] Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, July 2, 2008 1:10 PM PDT Nicole Guttormsen got into softball just to play the game and make some new friends. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine she would be representing the United States of America in a softball tournament. But that will be the case, as she will be a part of the USA Athletes International team, taking part in the 2008 annual Robur ‘58 Apeldoorn Series. The softball tournament runs from July 19-28 in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, located east of the country’s capital city of Amsterdam. “I wasn’t that good of a softball player when I was younger,” Guttormsen said. “I just worked on the weekends, getting better.” A 2005 graduate of Half Moon Bay High School, Guttormsen attended the College of San Mateo for two years, playing for the Bulldogs. She transferred to Holy Names University in Oakland, where she continued to study and play. While there, she also coached the junior varsity team at Skyline High School, located close to Holy Names. During the spring she was notified by USA Athletes International that she was on the team. There were no tryouts to attend. “A teammate recommended I should be on the team,” Guttormsen said. “I was very surprised.” Actually, surprise was not her initial reaction when she received the letter. She didn’t think the non-profit group with legitimate. A conversation with former high school coach Naomi Patridge reassured the 21-year-old Half Moon Bay resident of the group’s legitimacy. Based in Kansas, USA Athletes International was founded in 1991 to give athletes a chance to participate in international competition, as well as tour the host country. In addition to playing, Guttormsen and her teammates will be touring some major sites in Amsterdam, including the Anne Frank Museum and the Heineken Experience. More tours are planned for outside of Amsterdam. “I have played softball in New Jersey and Florida,” Guttormsen said. “But I have never been out of the country before.” After the excitement ebbed, one of Guttormsen’s main issues was the cost. The whole trip will cost about $4,000, including airfare, lodging, meals and uniform. “The price did concern me,” Guttormsen said. “I talked to my folks about it. They told me it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to play. They told me I should do it.” Following her final game for Half Moon Bay in 2005, Guttormsen thought she would never play softball again. She was a second-team all-league selection her senior year. Then came a chance to play at CSM, where she was an all-conference selection in 2007. That led to the opportunity to both play and coach in the East Bay. “Everything just fell into place for me,” Guttormsen said. |