Softball | August 25, 2014
If you watched the 2014 FIFA World Cup this summer, chances are at some point you were exposed to the idea of dual citizenship, and how that cultural crossover could lead to German nationals like Jermaine Jones or Fabian Johnson or a Norwegian such as Mix Diskerud suiting up for the Stars and Stripes. You may have wondered about that, and perhaps wondered if it might work the other way, where an American with dual citizenship might get an opportunity to play under a different country's flag.
Christiana Gable may not have wondered any of those things, but she got to find out anyway.
Gable, a rising sophomore on the Austin Peay State University softball team, hails from Nolensville, Tennessee. But her mom, Elke, grew up in Germany, near Heidelburg, making her daughter a dual citizen with a German passport. And that, as much as anything, explains how she found herself spending the summer playing for Germany at the 2014 European Junior Women's Softball Championships.
"My mom was curious," Gable said. "She got online and was looking through the German softball website and just emailed the coach, explaining who I was and how long I had been playing. She sent them a couple of videos of me playing; they liked my experience and picked me up."
So off she went to a four-day camp in Cologne. As the only American in the German camp, there were some barriers for Gable to overcome. There also was a bit of tactical reconnaissance that Germany had to work around where Gable was concerned.
"There was a bit of a cultural adjustment," Gable said. "Most of the girls spoke English pretty well, and in Germany they teach English throughout school. Food and eating were the toughest things to get used to."
"The head coach, Udo Dehmel, was very particular about keeping it from other coaches, specifically the Belgian coach, that I was a pitcher and that I was from America. We scrimmaged somebody and the Belgian coach came to scout us and they were very careful to make sure they didn't find anything out about me."
Following the camp, it was off to Rosmalen, Holland for the tournament. A young German squad was tested early with an error-filled, rain-soaked loss to Belgium.
"We were losing 3-2 with no outs in the sixth and they called the game," Gable said. "Had the rain shown up 15 minutes earlier, we would've finished the game the next day. We had some bad luck that day, some errors that really cost us."
The Germans would go 6-1 the rest of the way, finishing ninth overall in the championships. Although the young team – which featured multiple 15 and 16-year olds in a tournament for players age 19-and-under – took its lumps in the tournament, Gable proved to be one of the most outstanding hitters in the competition, hitting .650 (13-for-20) with three triples, two doubles, a home run and 11 RBI. She ranked second in hitting among qualified batters and fourth in RBI.
Gable would not be the only American once she reached tournament play. Other national teams also are reaching out to American players in order to spread the game across the Atlantic.
"For Germany, it was just me," Gable said. "But other teams had more Americans. Great Britain had six Americans and an Australian. It was easy to spot the Americans – the European nationals do a good job, but you can tell they don't have as much experience as we do. Softball is just not as popular over there.
"Having the structure I've had, it helped me out a little bit. I think one of the reasons they were excited to have me over was because of the experience I've had in America. I've been playing since I was four, every summer and fall, and practiced during the winter and spring. They don't have the same resources we have, especially when it comes to practicing inside and things like that."
As much fun as Gable had and as well as she played, her 2014 experience more than likely signals the start of a substantial international career. She's already been invited to return for the senior women's team next season.
"Right after this was over, they said, 'So, you're coming back next year, right, to play for the women's team?'" Gable said. "I probably will, because it was a lot of fun."
Fun is a concept that has to share space with other responsibilities during the collegiate season. For Gable, it was a reminder that more than anything else, the fun has to come first – otherwise, why bother?
"It was such a fun experience," Gable said. "It was a reminder that softball is still fun and everybody is out there to have a good time. In college it's a lot more serious, but it's definitely a reminder to keep the fun first. It's still work, but it's still a good time."
