Summer 2023

eager to see other women on TV throwing a softball at 70 mph and winning negotiations,” she says. “They are eager to follow that confident woman and want to be able to be inspired.” Women’s softball, she points out, doesn’t have a huge following like the MLB, NBA or NFL. She’s hoping that young female athletes in the current generation get better coverage and better chances for success. “My story is unique,” she says. “I didn’t have the visibility of watching pros. I just saw kids in high school playing in a rec league, and I thought, ‘I can throw like her.’” Kids can now learn how to throw like Abbott, with in-person classes and lessons available in Pacific Grove, Monterey and Salinas. Her MA14 Scholarship is presented each year to two grad- uating high school seniors to help with college expenses.The goal of the scholarship is to help female athletes become future leaders on and off sports fields. Although a determined young Abbott once wrote in a fifth-grade school report that she would be an Olympian when she grew up, and with her parents’ and coaches’ support, created a plan to be successful, it was still surreal for her to make it to the Olympics twice. “Being able to perform at the Olympic stages is the highest level in women’s softball,” she says. “To be at the top of the top meant so much to me. The Olympics crosses every sport and it’s such a great honor and really humbling. It’s an out-of-body experience. When you realize that people in your sport respect you and believe in you and you wear USA across your chest, you want to represent them [well].” For more information or to purchase “Rise and Shine: The Monica Abbott Story,” please visit www.monicaabbott.com.The book is also available on Amazon. Abbott recently retired from softball after over 20 years of playing professionally, but is more active than ever with speaking engagements after just releasing her first book, “Rise and Shine: The Monica Abbott Story.” Abbott had an exceptionally long career with lots of success. She wrote her book in hopes that her story will inspire other girls to follow their dreams. C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R 2 0 2 3 115 Photo: Courtesy of Monica Abbott