The Inside Veer - Community support makes regional tournament trip possible for Fernley softball team

The Fernley Softball Little League Juniors earned the right to play in the Junior League Softball West Region Tournament in Tucson, Ariz., with their play on the field, but how they got there was as much of a community effort as it was a softball story.

The team had less than two weeks to prepare after winning the state tournament in Battle Mountain, leaving families scrambling for travel plans, uniforms, fundraising and logistics. The community stepped in immediately.

“We asked for sponsorships, and the girls did a lemonade fundraiser for a couple of days,” manager Sarah Parale said. “We had people we don’t know stopping by and donating money just to help the families and the girls come down here and play.”

Businesses contributed. The city contributed. Individuals donated without being asked. Parale said every time she checked social media, she saw messages from Fernley wishing the team luck.

“We wouldn’t have been able to make this trip without the people who donated,” she said. “It takes a lot.”

The team also needed new uniforms to represent Nevada at regionals. With almost no time to spare, they connected with a vendor in Las Vegas who had made shirts for the state tournament the previous year. She produced the uniforms quickly enough for the team to pick them up on the drive south.

“It’s a big puzzle piece to put together,” Parale said.

Most families traveled by car, forming an informal convoy down the highway. Only one family flew. The rest made the long drive in the July heat.

Parale said she tries to make sure the players understand what the community did for them.

“That’s one thing I keep trying to instill in the girls, realizing what the community has done so they can actually come down here and do this,” she said.

The support didn’t stop once the team arrived. Parents endured triple-digit temperatures, long delays and extended days at the field.

“It was a struggle for our fans just sitting in that heat,” Parale said.

To make the trip possible, Fernley showed up for its kids financially, emotionally, and physically. And the players noticed.

In a tournament defined by heat, delays and tough competition, Fernley’s biggest advantage may have been the people back home.