Softball Clinic with US Olympic Gold Medalist Hits a Homerun
2-time Olympian Jessica Mendoza inspires local girls to achieve success in sports and in life
Malibu, CA – Despite chilly winter temperatures, more than 55 young Malibu girls turned out on
Sunday, February 27, to learn softball skills from a proven champion. What USA Olympian Jessica
Mendoza brought to the free softball clinic presented by the City of Malibu Parks and Recreation
Department at Malibu Bluffs Park was far more than the girls could ever have dreamed.
Ms. Mendoza began the day with a hitting demonstration and then ran drills on fundamentals, such
as throwing, catching, baserunning and fielding. She followed up the instructional phase of the
event by talking with the girls about the importance of physical fitness, staying active and pursuing
their dreams. After the event, each girl was invited to Autograph Alley where they received a
signed poster of Jessica, a Jessica Mendoza Adidas postcard, a Louisville Slugger backpack, a City
of Malibu t-shirt and refreshments.
A key player on the USA softball teams that took home Olympic gold at the 2004 Athens games
and the silver at Beijing in 2008, Ms. Mendoza and her teammates also won the gold medal at the
2007 Pan-American Games. Her individual honors include being named USA Softball Athlete of
the Year in 2006, World Championships Offensive MVP in 2006 and 2008 Women’s Sports
Foundation Sportswoman of the Year.
The clinic is the first City event to be offered through funding provided by the $50,000 donation
awarded to the City in July 2010 by the NFL and EA Sports as part of the NFL Play 60 campaign.
The NFL created the campaign in 2007 to tackle childhood obesity by keeping children active for
60 minutes a day. Through the Play 60 campaign, NFL teams and players work with private, nonprofit
and government partners, like the City of Malibu, to ensure that the next generation of youth
is more active and healthy than they are today.
“We are truly blessed to have such a great athlete and wonderful role model like Jessica Mendoza
available to come to Malibu and teach our kids, not only athletic skills, but also the importance of
starting now to live active, healthy lives,” said Malibu Councilmember Lou La Monte, whose
daughter Olivia participated in Sunday’s clinic. “That is exactly what the NFL and EA Sports
intended when they created the Play 60 Campaign that provided the funding for this great event.”
