Illinois State assistant softball coach
Tina Kramos was recently named as a member of the 18-player pre-Olympic softball roster for the team which will represent Greece in the 2004 Olympics to be held in Athens, Greece in August.
Its an honor to be a part of the first Olympic softball team for Greece, Kramos said. Im very excited about the summer and the Games in August.
A final roster of 15 players and three alternates will be formed following June training camp. The 18 preliminary players will complete the Road to Athens tour, which will culminate with the Games.
Kramos, a 1995 graduate of Southwest Missouri State, just completed her fourth season as an assistant coach with the Illinois State softball team. She helped guide the Birds to three regular season conference titles and a record of 133-77-1 in four years. The Overland Park, Kan., native was inducted into the SMS Athletics Hall of Fame on February 7. She earned three letters with the Bears from 1991-95 and captured Missouri Valley Conference honors her final two seasons. In the SMS record books, Kramos ranks fourth in career runs (94) and triples (11), and is No. 6 in RBI (73).
Illinois State head coach
Melinda Fischer believes this is an invaluable opportunity for her assistant coach.
This is a once in a lifetime experience, Fischer said, and when opportunity knocks like this you need to take advantage of it. Tina is learning a lot and gaining a ton of experience, not only in terms of softball but also in every day life. Im really happy for her and her family.
All but two of the 18 players named to the preliminary roster are from the United States, with the majority of players coming from California. In order to be eligible for selection, players must be of Greek descent. Arizona State head coach Linda Wells will lead the squad, which will be making its Olympic softball debut in Athens. Diane Ninemire, head coach at California, will assist Wells.
Opening Ceremonies for the Olympics will be held on August 13, with the softball competition taking place the first ten days from August 14-24. The eight teams that qualified for the Games are Greece, the United States, China, Australia, Canada, Japan, Chinese Taipei and Italy. A round robin format will be used with the top four teams moving on to the Medal Round. Greece will open the Games against China on August 14. It will mark just the third time that softball has appeared in the Olympics.
