By Lou Hunsinger Jr.

Young softballers seeking to improve their game will have the opportunity to learn from one of the best when former U.S. Olympic Softball Team standout and Gold Medalist, Jennie Finch conducts a clinic at the Liberty Arena in downtown Williamsport on Saturday, March 24.

Time magazine once described Jennie Finch as “the most famous softball player in history.” She was a collegiate All-American while pitching and playing first base for the University of Arizona Wildcats. She was one of the sparkplugs for the U.S. Olympic Girls Softball Gold Medal winning team at the 2004 Olympics and was a member of the 2008 Silver Medal winning team. Finch played several years of professional softball for the Chicago Bandits of the National Pro Fast Pitch softball league, before retiring in 2010.

She is married and has two children and goes across the country conducting softball camps and clinics and doing her best to be a good ambassador for softball. She has been a previous visitor to Williamsport, having attended the Little League World Series several years ago.

The clinic will be divided into parts. The morning session will be for those 12 years of age and under and the afternoon session will be for those 13 years of age and older. The morning sessions run from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and the afternoon sessions will run from 12:30 p.m. until 2:55 p.m.

Paul McGinn, the general manager of the Liberty Arena, spoke to Webb Weekly about the Finch appearance and what was involved in scheduling and what it means to area softball players and to the Liberty Arena itself.
Where did the idea to bring Jennie Finch in for a clinic come from?

“We wanted to give as many local softball players the opportunity to learn from the best. Jennie Finch was the gold standard.”

Was it easy to contact or reach out to her or her camp about putting on the event?

“Dealing with Jennie Finch and her management team has been extremely easy, and they have been extremely friendly to deal with.”

What has preparation been like the past few months getting ready for this event?

“Hours and Hours of meetings have been devoted to simply working out the logistics of the clinic. Bringing someone like Jennie to the area, although she’s been here before, there’s a whole new age group of young women excited to meet and learn from her.”

Is the programming yours or hers? Or a combination of both?

“Jennie runs camps and clinics all over the country, we basically have worked with her management team to come up with a simple structure of what she does at every stop. With that being said, one of the unique opportunities for this clinic is, in addition to Jennie, we have the area’s best and most knowledgeable coaches volunteering to help Jennie out. This isn’t just for a photo op as some might expect, she’s here to put on a clinic for these youth softball players.
Is there free admission into The Liberty Arena the day of the clinic or will it strictly be for participants families to come watch?

“While Jennie Finch is here, this is a private event. Only those who have registered and their parents will have access to our facility and Jennie Finch during the event. After the Jennie Finch clinic, we will be having a six-team girls’ softball tournament involving some of our area’s best softball teams who will be competing Saturday night and Sunday, and that will be open to the public.”

What do you hope area youth softball players are able to take away from this experience?

“The idea is to give them an experience that they will never forget. We all have those “bucket list” moments that we cherish, and these young ladies will never forget the day they met the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time) at the Liberty Arena. It will also allow girls from our area to become a well-rounded player. It isn’t simply a pitching clinic, but rather a clinic to develop hitting, fielding, and pitching.”

This is a huge event for Williamsport and the community, what can we expect to see next from The Liberty Arena?

“That was the main goal of our owner, Dan Klingerman, when he decided to bring a venue like ours to Downtown Williamsport. He wanted to have a facility where local youth and adults could benefit from having fun and healthy competition as well as have an economic impact in the community. We are working very hard at building upon and creatively introducing new programs that a broader range of youth and adults can benefit from. We offer leagues and training for various sports, tournaments, clinics, skills academies, and summer camps. Be sure to follow us across all our social media platforms; Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (search @TheLibertyArena for all). Our vision for the future is simply to unite families through sports, entertainment, and events.”

To register for the Jennie Finch clinic:

Call the Liberty Arena at 570- 980- 9963 to register and submit payment or complete a registration form and submit with payment to:

The Liberty Arena
c/o Jennie Finch Clinic
315 Hepburn Street
Williamsport, PA 17701

There are limited enrollment openings. Please register as early as possible to secure your spot.

Please contact Paul McGinn, Liberty Arena General Manager, at paul@thelibertyarena.com for questions or to request a registration packet. Registration packets can also be found online at http://www.thelibertyarena.com.