Ron Capshaw
Contributing writer

Homeschooling parents who lament the lack of sports avenues for their children can take heart.  A new home school softball team called Spirit Fastpitch has been formed. 

“The fastpitch team was formed as a way for our homeschoolers to play team sports as school kids are allowed,” says Donna McNamara, a homeschooling mom.  Currently three homeschoolers are playing on the team: Rebecca Myers, Joelle Johnson and Courtney McNamara.  They will be playing local and private schools in the Richmond and surrounding areas.  The team is coached by Ken Adams from Enon.

McNamara is delighted by the team’s formation and feels it fills a vital hole.  “Homeschoolers are not allowed to play schools sports because the Virginia High school will not let them unless they take 5 classes from the school,” she says. 

“If we did that,” she asks, “what would be the point in homeschooling?”

Many homeschooling parents tried to go through the General Assembly to allow their children to play sports, but McNamara said the effort failed: “Various Virginia education associations quickly went to work to put it to rest and they were successful, in spite of our attempts otherwise.”  

McNamara said she hopes the publicity garnered by Fastpitch will make others aware of the many sports out there that homeschoolers are already playing such as basketball and volleyball.