Published: 12:00 AM, Mon May 21, 2012
Painting field a lull in hectic game preparations for South View softball coach
By Jaclyn Shambaugh
Staff writer
HOPE MILLS - As she loads a paint can into the sprayer, Kellie Aldridge is actually looking forward to the simple task at hand.
"I'm going to walk in a line and draw a line," Aldridge says.
After all, lining the softball field in anticipation of her Tigers' opening-round state playoff game against Green Hope is one of the easiest things she'll do all day.
It's May 14, and a last period pep rally has already pushed the field prep to past 4 p.m. As advisor to the Student Government Association and the senior class, Aldridge couldn't get away early. That gives her less than three hours before the Tigers take the field, and she still has 100 little details to take care of.
Thanks to former assistant coach Sylvia Hancock, who's been by earlier in the day to make indentations for the batter's boxes and pitcher's circle, Aldridge already has a head start.
A string is drawn from the corner of home plate, past the outside of first base to about six feet into the outfield. That string, anchored by nails at the ends, serves as Aldridge's guide for spraying a straight line.
"I'm going to take this all the way to the outfield fence, because this line in the grass is looking a little pale," Aldridge says.
It's a smart choice for Aldridge to opt for spray paint over chalk this day, for speed and ease.
"I like chalk when someone else is doing it, but I don't have time to do chalk today," she says.
A rushed step around the first base coach's box leads to a wonky line, but Aldridge rubs it out easily with the toe of her shoe.
"And you can't do that with chalk."
Lining the field takes all of 30 minutes, and that's with interruptions: a few phone calls from former Tigers coach Eddie Dees and a few more from Aldridge's husband and Gray's Creek principal, Vernon Aldridge, who needs directions to the couple's eldest daughter's softball game.
Rolling the sprayer back into the dugout storage room, Aldridge is off again, hopping in her dark Camry to go home for a few minutes before taking care of the other 99 little things still on her list.
Staff writer Jaclyn Shambaugh can be reached at shambaughj@fayobserver.com or 609-0651.