Caledonia Argus

Olympic gold medalist visits Caledonia students

Posted: 3/5/02

By Shannon McKinney
Argus News Reporter

Thereís nothing quite like an olympic gold medal to bring home the message that dogged determination really can bring you what you want.

The handful of students at Caledonia High School listened closely as Crystl Bustos, 24, of Canyon Country, CA described her trip to achieving an olympic gold medal as shortstop in the womenís national fast pitch team for the 2000 olympics.

ìWith a dream and a goal and not giving up, you can accomplish anything,î said Bustos.

The dream for Bustos began when she was 10 years old. She decided that she would become a hitter. She learned everything she could about the game and about hitting. Her parents didnít believe her when she informed them that she would be a professional ball player.

ìMy parents doubted me. Thatís where I wanted to go and I wasnít going to stop until I got there,î she said.

Four years ago while playing as a rookie in 1998, Bustos blew out her ACL. She refused to accept being told that she couldnít play softball. ìI told him (the doctor) to do whatever he could to get me back out onto that field,íî she said.

Bustos could run, but just couldnít move sideways. She wore a leg brace for a year and spent that time in extra training, hitting and running for the team. She couldnít play outfield. ìMy averages stayed high. I pulled myself out. My familyís been my team,î she said.

Her second year in the WPSL (Womenís professional Softball League) she was invited to try out for the olympic softball team. She refused to ëditchí her team, so wouldnít sign a contract with the olympic team unless she could play for the national team too.

Bustos said some teammates thought she was stupid for not moving ahead and playing for the Olympic team. But as she explained, this was a matter of integrity. ìIf you canít keep your word to yourself and others, you are nothing,î she said.

Her decision caused her to have quite a busy year. She played over a hundred games that season and often found herself finishing one game to hop aboard a plane to get to another. ìThatís commitment. When you make it, that means you donít quit,î she said.

Bustos said this attitude applies to anything you want to succeed in whether it be drawing or another sport.

She shared the story of how she won an olympic gold medal in 2000. Team USA was expected to sweep the competition, but lost their first three games in a row. ìOur coach said, ëNow you canít lose at all,íî recalls Bustos.

ìWith our backs against the wall, we pushed and we fought until we won,î she said.

When Bustos passed around her Olympic gold medal, students reacted with interest. Some were surprised at how heavy it was. One said it was probably the first and last time theyíd ever see an olympic gold medal.

Some students were surprised that Bustos passed it around. She said, ìIf you canít share that with somebody, whatís the value of it? Whatís the point of locking it into a safe?î

Her gold medal, Team USA stats were as follows: #1 in hits (10), #1 in home runs (3), #1 in runs batted in (4), #1 in total bases (20), #1 in slugging percentage (.541).

Miken Sports sponsors Bustos

Bustos is sponsored by Miken Sports of Caledonia. Pete Griffith of Miken said he sees Bustos a few times a year and thought this would be a good opportunity for students to meet an olympic athlete.

Out of a few hundred bat sponsorship offers, Bustos chose Miken because of the durability and quality of the bat. Recalling the first test, she said, ìIt sounded weird. But my coach said, ëBut look where it goes,íî She added, ìIt didnít break or dent. It lasts. Thereís not even a mark.î

She had broken over 100 bats in her tests, but Miken was the only bat that didnít so much as scratch even after 300 hits.

Bustos enjoys talking to students, ìI do this in California. I want them to understand that weíre all normal people. Weíre not untouchable. I came from the exact thing that they came from,î she said.

The concept of not giving up to get what you want applies to everything.

Bustos has several goals she plans to achieve. First, she will continue playing softball, but would like to try boxing. ìI got as far as I can with softball. Boxing will keep me in the best shape,î she said.

Bustos plans to open an athletic facility some day where elite athletes will have someplace to train.

She currently trains in a gym where many other world class athletes train.

She also would like to go back to college, get a degree and coach college softball.

Several students gathered around to receive autographs and some training hint from Bustos after her talk.

She vouches for flexibility and resistance training. Weight training in the water is 10 times more effective than outside of the water.

Hitting balls far is not all about bat speed, ìItís about putting the bat on the ball.î

The weakest spot in the field is always the middle she said.

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