It’s official: girls softball is now an established part of Tomah’s summer sports landscape.

The Tomah 18-and-under softball team, sponsored by Tomah Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #1382, finished its season Wednesday with a doubleheader sweep of Onalaska. Tomah finished the summer with a 9-7 record, but that only begins to measure the value of the program. What’s most impressive is that every game on the schedule was actually played.

Tomah’s 2008 schedule consisted of home doubleheaders of five innings each over eight consecutive Wednesdays. Despite the rainiest summer in recent memory, the rain always held off on Wednesday from 5:30 p.m. until sunset. Somebody discovered a blessed scheduling window.

More important, however, no games were cancelled due to lack of players. Every game produced enough bodies for nine players on each team. In fact, most teams had enough players for things like courtesy runners for the pitchers and catchers, and substitutes for injured players. I counted 16 different players on the Tomah squad, and there was at least 11 or 12 players for every Wednesday date.

Another observation: Tomah coach Michelle McDaniel and most of the opposing coaches used the doubleheader format to put different lineups on the field for each game. Coaches never used the same pitcher for both games of a doubleheader, even though the throwing motion in softball doesn’t threaten injury. Girls got to play different positions, hit in different spots in the batting order and test themselves in different situations.

Now that it’s clear that summer girls softball has a solid footing in Tomah -- not to mention Onalaska, Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau, La Crosse, etc. -- the next step should be some kind of post-season tournament similar to what the American Legion conducts with baseball. The only thing Tomah girls didn’t experience this summer was the challenge of a win-or-go-home contest.

The Tomah VFW deserves a big pat on the back for putting summer girls softball on stable ground. In addition to the 18-and-under team, the VFW sponsored 14-and-under and 12-and-under squads. All three teams got significant practice and game experience that will help make the high school squad more competitive (it’s hard, if not impossible, to develop pitchers during the first two weeks of spring practice).

Just as important, the VFW season is good experience for the girls independent of their high school varsity careers. There are girls in the VFW program who will never play a varsity game, and that’s fine. The summer program is all about providing an enjoyable and wholesome summer activity that teaches softball, teamwork and sportsmanship. It was success that is measured by more than wins and losses. Good job, VFW Post #1382. You’ve done your part for Tomah youth.

Steve Rundio is the sports editor of Tomah Newspapers.