After Beverly Elsner read the Naomi Shihab Nye poem “Wandering Around an Albuquerque Airport Terminal” posted a few weeks ago, she wrote to say thanks, and then gave me the gift of a wonderful story. “Well, my times in the Albuquerque airport have been quite boring and no one has ever offered me cookies,“ Beverly wrote. “My main delight in ABQ has been seeing the large poster of Mallory Holtman.”
In April 2008, Mallory Holtman was playing first base for Central Washington University (CWU) in a game against Western Oregon. Western Oregon’s Sara Tucholsky had just hit what was obviously a home run when she realized that she forgot to tag first base. She turned quickly—too quickly—and fell to the ground (she later found out she had torn a ligament). According to a 2014 Oregonian article, “The first words Sara heard were 'Don't touch her.' The fear was that if her first base coach or a teammate had gone onto the field to help her, she would have been called out. Coaches and umpires met quickly, with Sara still lying in the dirt…While this discussion was happening, Central Washington first baseman Mallory Holtman asked a simple question. 'Can I help her?'"
Mallory and CWU shortstop Liz Wallace gently picked up Sarah and carried her around the field, lowering her to touch each base as she passed. The moment—videotaped by a parent—went viral and won the young women an ESPY (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly) Award.
Years later when Sara was interviewed for the Oregonian article, she recounted talking with legendary UCLA softball coach Sue Enquist, who told her that moment would “forever change softball." Sara said the coach meant that Mallory’s act showed players that there is something bigger than the game itself.
"This home run did not change me as a person, but it has had a huge impact on how I see a moment," Sara wrote to the Oregonian reporter, Keith Sharon. "What I learned from Mallory that day is that we always have the opportunity, in every moment, to see the bigger picture. And if we can pause in moments like those and make choices based integrity and kindness, I think we'd see a lot more good in this world."
(You can read the rest of the really terrific Oregonian article here, and watch the video here. If you’re anything like me, they’ll make you cry.)
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