Polar Bears (1979)

1979 Polar Bears Team-ASA Women’s Class A National Fastpitch Tournament
Front row l. to r.: Margaret Cassidy (C), Kris Lemon (RF), Kathy Pandrea (OF), Lorie Isaac Timberman
(P), Terri Pollen (C/UTIL), Jody Grace (SS), Debbie Osada (C/OF), and Darvee Olsen (2B).
Back row l. to r.: Dick Pollen (Coach), Elaine Folgers (DH/OF), Connie Bridges (P), Margaret Steeves
(CF), Vi Stewart (P), Cindy Miller (LF), Peggy Ellis (1B), Trish Hackett (SS/3B), and Mike Kondra
(Assistant Coach).

On the scoreboard, the Polar Bears didn’t win often at the Class A Women’s Fastpitch National
Tournament last weekend in Bay City, Mich.
In fact, the Pierce County squad came out on top in only one game, dropping two others. But in
other respects, Coach Dick Pollen couldn’t have been more pleased about the adventure.
“I think in the long run we were the big winners back there,” he commented upon the club’s
return earlier this week.
The long run he speaks of has more to do with the scoreboard of life than softball. Since the
players had to raise their own funds to cover the cost of the trip, they were not able to afford
“first class” accommodations, at least not up to the standards of most. But no one would likely be
able to convince the Bears that there was anything second class about the way they were treated
in Bay City.
PRIOR TO leaving by plane, Pollen attempted to secure the use of a church basement or
gymnasium for housing, as he likes to keep his “family” under one roof. Someone back in Bay
City didn’t think much of that idea and put an ad in the newspaper there asking for some local
hospitality. Bill and Katie Pichiotino and daughters Pam and Paula responded.
“They shared their lives with us,” Pollen said. “The memory of that is enough to sustain us.
We’ll love them forever.”
Thus, despite some bad moments on the playing field, the trip was quite successful. The Bears
stayed in the Pichiotino home with its large basement and made quick friends with not only their
host family, but with a restaurant owner who picked up the check for one of their meals and
especially with the softball fans.
And, according to Pollen, the local club made a lot of friends for Tacoma with the hometown
proudly worn on each player’s back.
The BEARS had a good draw in the 20-team tournament, the coach said, and went against Salt
Lake City, Utah, in Friday night’s second “featured” game, playing on the main diamond. - The
crowd was larger than any they’d seen.
“The number of fans, I think, was disturbing to us,” Pollen explained.
Those fans, however, were on the Polar Bears’ side, probably due partially to the pre-tournament
publicity the club drew while in search for a home away from home.
The nervous Bears gave up five runs in the bottom of the first inning on an error, five walks and
three hits.
“We really had a rough start,” Pollen commented.
He explained that the game balls were late in arriving and the ones used had slippery covers
–something starter Lorie Timberman didn’t much care for, especially after a hard, “sweaty,” pre-
game workout. Timberman, in fact, lasted only one-third of the first inning before Pollen sent for
reliever Connie Bridges.
“OUR TEAM was just very nervous,” the coach reflected. “That surprised me...We couldn’t get
over the jitters.”
The Bears ultimately lost 9-7, but made a strong come-back bid in the seventh. They were
trailing 9-1 at the time, Timberman scoring the lone tally in the second on a Darvee Olsen single.
In the seventh, Debbie Osada walked and scampered home on Bridges’ triple. Olson then singled
in her second run of the game and Jody Grace popped another single before Peggy Ellis walked
The Bears then had a little of the wind taken out of their sails when Cindy Miller slapped a, ball
to the right side. Ellis collided with the Salt Lake second baseman and although it appeared that
the ball had been lost before the collision, Ellis was ruled out on a late call.
THAT STILL left the bases loaded with Miller taking first and Grace and Olsen sent back. Trish
Hackett then grounded out, enabling Olsen to score, and the catcher proceeded to throw the ball
away, clearing the bases. When Steeves followed with a solo homer, the Bears were within• two
runs, but the next two batters were unable to keep up the trend.
“We really won the crowd over with that rally,” Pollen recalled.
Both teams finished with eight hits in the game, but Salt Lake made three less errors, 5-2.
Despite the early crack in the normally-solid Bear defense, there was an outfield gem provided
by center fielder Margaret Steeves. She robbed a Salt Lake batter of a clean single by picking up
the line drive and getting a powerful throw to first in time.
A win in that’ opener would have put the Bears against Pittsburg, a team Pollen was not overly
impressed with. Instead, the locals waited to play the loser of the Wilton, Conn.-Lincoln, Neb.,
contest. Wilton, last year’s runner-up that had knocked up defending champion Bingington,
N.Y., in regional play, was one of the tourney favorites, while The Bears had seen an “awesome”
Nebraska ‘club two years earlier in the senior division national tourney.


1979 POLAR BEARS WOMEN’S FASTPITCH TEAM COMPETES AT NATIONALS
That the 1979 Polar Bears reached the national tournament would have been enough to rank
among the elite teams in Pierce County history. Although they did not top the 20-team field at
the end of the Bay City, Mich., tournament proved hardly a smudge on their spectacular season.
“I think in the long run we were the big winners back there,” coach Dick Pollen said of the
tournament run.
The team finished with a 39-8 season record, finishing 1-2 at the national tournament. The Bears
started the tournament in Bay City against Salt Lake City. Nerves got the best of the team, as the
Bears gave up five runs in the bottom of the first inning.
“Our team was just very nervous,” Pollen said. “We really had a rough start.”
A strong comeback bid in the seventh fell just short, as the Bears scored six runs but still lost 9-
7. The Bears bounced back in their second game, using a pair of RBI from both Peggy Ellis and
Margaret Steeves to beat Wilton, Conn., 8-4 and stave off elimination. From that point, the Bears
dropped a 7-6 decision to Plymouth, Ind., in which they rallied for five runs in the seventh but
couldn’t quite complete the comeback.
“We got to be known as the comeback kids,” Pollen said. “But we never quite came back far
enough.”
Off the field, however, the tournament left the team with great experiences and new
relationships, prompting Pollen’s comments about the Bears being the big winners. The players
had to cover the cost of the trip by raising their own funds, meaning that they could not afford
first class accommodations.
However, the team’s plans to stay together in a church basement or gymnasium would not prove
true when someone in Bay City determined that was no way for a visiting softball team to stay
for the national tournament. They put an ad in the local newspaper, and Bill and Katie Pichiotino
responded with some Michigan hospitality.
The team stayed in the Pichiotino’s large basement and quickly built relationships with Bill and
Kate, as well as their daughters, Pam and Paula. The team also befriended a local restaurant
owner who picked up the check for one of their meals.
In the end, the Polar Bears finished in the middle of the 20-team field. But their accomplishments
on the field in reaching the national tournament will never be forgotten. And the relationships
and memories they made along with way will last forever.
Connie Bridges-McClary: Connie was born in Tacoma and graduated from Mount Tahoma
High School. She played softball for various teams from 1974 to 1994, including pitching for the
Polar Bears teams that went to the national championships in 1977 and 1979. She earned several
most valuable player awards, numerous all-star awards ad participated on several league
championship teams. She lives in University Place and works as an operations reporting analyst
for Comcast.
Margaret Cassidy: Margaret was born in Portland, Ore., and graduated from Curtis High
School. She graduated from the University of Puget Sound in 1988. She lives in Coeur d’Alene,
Idaho.
Jody Grace: Jody was born in Tacoma and graduated from Curtis High School. She attended
Green River Community College on a basketball scholarship. She played shortstop for the Polar
Bears and earned most valuable player and all-star selections throughout her career. Jody
operated her own small business prior to her death in January 1991.
Trish Hackett: Trish was born in Tacoma and graduated from Lakes High School. She
graduated from the University of Washington and played softball for close to 25 years. She
played third base and earned various all-star and tournament most valuable player awards
throughout her career. She lives in Renton and works as a management information coordinator
at Wyerhaeuser.
Kris Lemon Schleigh: Kris was born in Tacoma and graduated from Curtis High School. She
attended the University of Puget Sound and the University of Washington, and graduated from
Pacific Lutheran University. She played outfield on the softball field and was one of Coach
Pollen’s original players with the 1972 Polar Bears, playing with the team until 1984. She lives
in University Place, Wash., and works as a second grade teacher in the University Place School
District.
Cindy (Miller) Lundquist: Cindy was born in Mt. Home, Idaho, and attended Curtis High
School and Burley High School in Idaho. She attended Idaho State University. Cindy played
various positions on the softball diamond, playing with the Asarco Polecats and 1979 Polar
Bears team. She considers playing for Coach Pollen to be the highlight of her career. Cindy lives
in Cathedral City, Calif., working in computer programming and sales.
Darvee Olsen: Darvee was born in Tacoma and graduated from Tyee High School in SeaTac,
Wash. She attended Central Washington and Highline Community College. Darvee played for
numerous softball teams from the late 1960s to the mid 1980s, including the 1979 Polar Bears.
As far as she knows, she and her mother, Mac Olsen, comprised the first mother-daughter
fastpitch combination. She lives in Kent, Wash., and works as a surveillance observer at the
Great American Casino in Tukwila.
Debbie Osada: Debbie played for the QFC Royals, Peoples’ Church Women’s Fastpitch and
Evergreen Chiropractic Women’s Slowpitch, as well as the Polar Bears. She was part of the high
school state slowpitch championship in 1979 and earned Class C State Women’s Slowpitch
Championship and most valuable player. She lives in Tacoma.
Kathy Pandrea: Kathy was born in Tacoma and graduated from Curtis High School. She
attended Saint Martin’s University and graduated in 1998. She played for the Polar Bears from
1978 to 1980 despite suffering a serious knee injury in 1978 that began the end of her athletic

endeavors. She considers Coach Pollen to be the best coach she ever had and credits him for the
Polar Bears’ success. She lives in Federal Way and works for the City of Tacoma.
Terri (Pollen) Koberstein: Terri was born in Tacoma and graduated from Curtis High School.
She attended the University of Puget Sound and the University of Washington. During her
softball-playing days, Terri played pretty much everywhere on the field, and she played in two
national tournaments for the Polar Bears (1977 and 1979). She earned all-star team honors at
several tournaments during that time. She worked for West Cost Grocery, Tacoma Boatbuilding
and Commonwealth Title before becoming a stay-at-home mom.
Margaret Steeves: Margaret was born in Tacoma and graduated from Lincoln High School. She
participated in softball from 1965 to 1983, also participating in track & field, field hockey,
volleyball, basketball, soccer, badminton and decathlons. She played centerfield for the Polar
Bears and earned an all-star selection at the 1979 regional tournament in Kennewick, Wash.
Margaret lives in Puyallup and works at R.E.I.
Lorie Timberman Mulhern: Lorie was born in Miles City, Montana and graduated from Fife
High School. She pitched, caught and played first and third base on the softball field, also
playing basketball, volleyball and tennis. She lives in Gig Harbor and is a PGA golf professional.