FORT JACKSON, S.C. (Aug. 14, 2014) -- An instructor at the Soldier Support Institute is among the competitors for a slot on the All Army men's softball team.
Staff Sgt. Danny Rogers, a Basic Officer Leaders Course instructor, will be attending tryouts at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, beginning Tuesday. There are 15 slots available on the team, with 25 Soldiers scheduled to participate in tryouts.
Men's and women's teams for Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines participate in the All-Armed Forces tournament, which takes place Sept. 10-15 at Fort Sill.
"We compete in a nine-game round robin contest, basically playing each service three times," Rogers said of the softball competition. "After that, whoever has the most wins takes home the gold medal that year."
He said he's not expecting a gold medal to come easily, though.
"This will probably be one of the toughest Armed Forces Championships in a while," Rogers said. "Everybody in the Army will do their best, and hopefully we'll come out with our third gold medal in a row."
Rogers previously played on the 2010 All Army men's softball team and went on to participate on the All Armed Forces Team that same year. His first involvement with a softball team took place long before that, though, as a batboy for his mother's team in Wisconsin when he was 10 years old.
He got the opportunity to play on an Army team in 2000 at Fort Drum, New York, where he discovered there is more to the game than pitching, batting and throwing, he said.
"I was still pretty young and had to grow up a little bit, in regards to the sport" he said. "When you first start playing, you want to hit the ball as hard as you can. Once you get seasoned, you learn it's more about placing the ball as hard as you can."
In 2010, during a team trip from Fort Benning, Georgia to Panama City Beach, Florida, he said his coach insisted they get a better look at some of the towns they were passing through.
"There's a museum on the way, there's a national swamp on the way ... not only were we playing softball, but we were learning about the areas we were visiting," he said. "Softball is awesome, but it's more about the people you get to meet."
Rogers, who plays second and third base, said he has been running drills to keep his skills polished.
"I practice with a group of guys, but when they're not available, I hit off a tee," he said. "My wife hits me ground balls, and she's very supportive, too."
None of this would be possible without the cooperation of commanders at the SSI, he said.
"I have a great chain of command," Rogers said. "My chain of command supports what I do. We're Soldiers first, and we all realize that. But, without a good chain of command backing me, I couldn't do it."
Those selected to the All-Armed Forces team will continue on to the Amateur Softball Association's national championship tournament in Oklahoma City.
Social Sharing