SB: The Biggest family in the world

Washington's success is built on a foundation bigger than any one player // By Mason Kelly

By Washington Huskies

March 6^th, 2019

Kaija Gibson was 9 years old when she decided she wanted to play for Washington. She was at the Huskies’ annual softball camp. And Heather Tarr came up to say hello.

“Do you want to be a Husky some day?” Tarr asked.

At that moment, Gibson made a decision that shaped her future. She placed herself on a path to become a Division I softball player with one goal: to play for Washington.

“That was the coolest question,” Gibson said. “I’ve cherished that question forever. I’ve wanted to be a Husky ever since.”

At the time, Gibson had only been playing softball for a few years, but Tarr was her “biggest role model.”

In 2008, Gibson spent the season as a bat girl for the program. And, through that experience, her desire to one day join the program caught fire.

“I was in the dugout with the girls,” she said. “They had their cheers. They were having so much fun. They welcomed me when I was really young to be a part of their family and I just wanted to be a part of that.

“I’ve always felt like I was a part of Husky softball, even when I wasn’t on the team.”

This is what makes Husky softball special. The wins are nice. Playing for national championships is important. But the culture at Washington is unique because the program has been built on a foundation that is bigger than any one player.

There is a reason the Huskies were able to start a different lineup in every game so far, while winning 16 of those early season contests.

“I feel like I’m a part of the biggest family in the whole entire world,” Gibson said. “It’s a very special feeling. It’s something I will cherish for the rest of my life.”

Gibson’s connection to the program runs family deep. Not only did she grow up wanting to be a part of the team. She went to the same high school (Redmond) as Tarr. She also shares a birthday with her coach.

“It’s so cool,” she said.

When Tarr, who has more wins (600) than any coach with any sport in Washington history, went to work building this program, she focused on establishing the culture necessary for sustained success.

“I learned at the University of Washington to teach the game,” she said. “I got to experience what really good teachers of our game are like.

“I think one of the things I pride myself in as a coach is there is always going to be a better way. There’s always a new way. And what I think makes us good here is we’re very progressive about how we go about our business. But we’re also kind of old school in our values and our foundations.”

Tarr and the Huskies bring family values to modern methods. Washington’s softball program pushes its players to be innovators on and off the field, pushing each member of the team to grow together while embracing the things that make them special as individuals.

“Your skills as a human are more important than your skills as a player,” Tarr said. “And we teach that every single day.”

When Taryn Atlee decided to transfer to Washington, she said it was based on the overwhelming connection she felt toward the women who would become her teammates.

“They welcomed me, but showed me the standard here,” she said.

Playing for a championship-caliber program brings with it a daily grind centered around improvement. But, for Atlee, the work is fun, because of the way the team is structured.

“Every day they make what we do fun,” she said. “It’s not like we come in and we’re dreading a practice or dreading a workout. We come in and we’re looking to get better every single day. It’s fun, because we make it fun.

“I’m loving what I’m doing, while working hard.”

Creating a way to enjoy the work is the secret sauce that makes talented teams great. It’s the magic the Huskies captured on their run to the College World Series last season. It is what has the program poised for another successful campaign in 2019.

But this success is built on players who understand what it means to be a part of the program, doing their part to add to the foundation.

“We celebrate the success and push through the failures together,” senior Taran Alvelo said. “We’re each other’s biggest supporters and best friends. Sisters. Teammates. It’s cool to know we have this bond. We’ll have our struggles. We go through ups and downs as a team. But, to be able to look at each other side-by-side, hand-in-hand and fight through anything that comes our way, and come out stronger is pretty unique and special for us.”

Back when freshman Silent Rain Espinoza was working her way through the recruiting process, she was improving her skills by training with former Husky Jenn Salling. During those training sessions, Salling would talk about Tarr and the Huskies, explaining how the program helped shape her as a player and person.

“She told me it was what made her into the person she is today, and not even just with softball, but becoming a better person,” Espinoza said. “She said this program definitely shaped her into the person she is today.”

That idea intrigued Espinoza. But she didn’t truly understand what Salling was describing until she became a Husky.

“Now that I’m here and I see what we have the potential to do, it’s about so much more than myself,” she said. “It’s like playing for something more than just your personal stats, your personal goals. It’s playing together, because we all want to win that national championship.”

Each player has a different reason for joining the program. For Gibson, it was a childhood dream. For Atlee, it was the chance to be a part of the softball family she had been looking for. And for Espinoza, it was the opportunity to understand what it means to be a part of something greater than the individual.

But, while different, each reason is rooted in the desire to contribute to something special, to build on Washington’s championship foundation.

“To be a Husky, you are an innovator,” Tarr said. “You are somebody that can think outside the box, that can see the greatness maybe other people can’t see yet.”