Nothing quite compares to playing alongside Olympians and pro softball players. Just ask Michelle Arimura, a multisport athlete and first-time participant at softball’s Elite Development Invitational (EDI).

“I’ve gained so much knowledge, and I get to take that home and share that with my teammates,” Arimura said. “We get to play with some pro softball players and some Olympians and college coaches. It was so fun just being able to play how college girls play. They are preparing us for that high level, and I love it so much.”

Softball EDI, a rigorous daylong program that took place in Kansas City from June 15-20, is modeled after the training camps of the national team. It gives these younger, talented athletes an idea of what it would be like to get ready for such competitions as the World Games and the Olympics. The athletes who are selected to take part are recommended by national softball academy directors; selection qualifies them to be a part of the Breakthrough Series, which takes place in August in Florida.

Dorian Shaw, a 2010 All American at Michigan, shared how these athletes can take advantage of this prestigious program.

“This is an opportunity for you to learn,” Shaw said. “We don’t care if you mess up. It means you are at the range of what you are capable of doing, so let’s be on it.”

Arimura, who has attended many GRIT events and who has dreams of playing for a D1 school, plays both softball and baseball. 

“I view myself as a softball player that plays baseball just because I love softball,” Arimura said. “It blows my mind how different the two sports are, but are so [similar] at the same time. Softball you really have to attack [the ball] because it is a smaller field.” 

Kahealani Sharpe, from NIKE RBI Softball Beyond Borders, talked highly about how Arimura’s willingness to play both softball and baseball inspires others.

“Seeing Michelle show out in softball and in baseball really makes a lot of the younger girls know that we can play baseball too if we wanted to -- like we can be better than the boys,” Sharpe said. 

Throughout the program, the 64 athletes in camp took part in games, skill work, drills, cardio training, nutrition seminars and personal development discussions. Off the diamond, they had the opportunity to visit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum as well as attend a Royals game. They also had the privilege of learning from some of the game’s best and being coached by such all-time greats as two-time Olympian and MLB ambassador Natasha Watley, who helped work with the infielders and taught bunting, and two-time Olympic pitcher Monica Abbott, who worked with the next generation of hurlers. 

Watley, two-time medalist and 2014 UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame Inductee, shared what she hopes these players will take away from their time in Kansas City.

“I hope that these girls are inspired to continue to put in the work,” Watley said. “This is a starting point of [the] summer season, and I want them to feel like they left with great knowledge on how to get better through the summer.”

Abbott, three-time SEC Pitcher of the Year for Tennessee, left attendees with some gold nuggets of advice.

“My biggest advice for athletes wanting to be able to play for Team USA is to continue to grow," Abbott said. "Take the coaching, be eager to learn and try things, and then turn it into something that you can apply to your game.”

One thing is certain: These young competitors are coming out of the EDI program stronger players, but more important, better human beings after having shared a diamond with some of USA Softball’s all-time greats.