VQ-1 was proud to send two players and a coach to join the All Navy softball team.

CTA2 Sydney Swindell, joined the All Navy women’s squad, and CTTC John Johnson and CTTC Rod Pryor joined the men’s team, representing the Navy in several tournaments.

Swindell attended a training camp held at Point Magu Naval Base in Ventura County, Calif., Aug. 29 through Sept. 11. As part of the training camp, the woman’s All Navy softball team participated in two ASA sanctioned tournaments taking third place in one and winning the other. After training camp, she and her team traveled to Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs where they participated in a tournament against the Air Force, Army and Marine teams. The All Navy team finished third in that tournament.

The woman’s All Navy softball team consisted of 15 females; two other females accompanied Swindell from NAS Whidbey Island, AT2 Janice Jewell from AIMD and Lt. Charlotte Welsch from NAVPACMETOCDET. 

VQ-1 chief petty officers Johnson and Pryor next joined the men’s All Navy softball team. Pryor acted as coach and trainer for the team for his second year in a row while Johnson played for the first time in his 21-year career.

Both player and coach participated in the training camp at NAS Pensacola, Fla. Aug. 25 through Sept. 6. The team played in two tournaments during the training camp before playing in a tournament against the other services at Eglin AFB from Sept. 9-11.

The Navy’s men’s team also took third place in their tournament and was only inches away from taking second place. In the bottom of the seventh inning against the Army team, the Navy’s last batter launched deep fly ball headed for the fence only to watch the be snatched up by the Army outfielder, robbing Navy of the home run and a second place finish.

All Navy tryouts were held in the region in July.

“There are 110,000 softball players in the Navy alone and they have to pick only 15 of the best players to represent the Navy,” Pryor said. “This is one of the greatest opportunities we have to represent our services.”

Pryor added that he hopes more commands start affording more people the opportunity to tryout. 

All three VQ-1 Sailors said it was an honor to participate and all plan to make the teams again next year.