Vince D’Adamo: What did you enjoy most about competing in athletics throughout your life?
Crystal Stober: Being an athlete growing up was always a big part of me. When I was young, I tried many different activities to keep me busy. I was in dance, I played the piano, but there was something about sports, softball in particular, that was just in my blood. I definitely had that competitive spirit, that drive to push forward and do the best that I could. I loved winning games and to get there you have to have a lot of dedication and practice. Being on the field as a pitcher and having all your teammates and fans look up to you to get the job done was one of the best feelings to have. I also really enjoyed the friendships that I formed with my teammates, most of whom I’m still in contact with these days. I feel like we brought the best out of each other which made it easier for us to achieve our goals and be winners.
D’Adamo: What have you been doing since graduating from high school?
Stober: After graduating from Napa High in 2002, I started working for a family business. It was great but not playing softball anymore was hard for me. So with my dad, Robb, and a good friend of mine we started coaching a team for the Napa Junior Girls Softball. I was having so much fun coaching and giving back all I learned over the years and seeing these young girls perform and excel we decided to put together another Screamers team. This was a traveling softball organization my dad formed back in the late 90's and now being a coach for that was a pretty awesome feeling. I started teaching girls how to pitch and watched them grow right in front of my eyes. A few years later I was approached by Vintage's varsity head coach at the time, Ward Mullins, and he wanted me to help assist on the JV team. Being from Napa High it was a little hard to say yes, but I couldn't turn it down, I was doing it for the girls. I was lucky enough to coach a Vintage for five years and was the JV head coach for three. I miss playing and coaching softball and it will always be something I treasure. Maybe one day I will start coaching again, but for now I am loving what I do being a photographer in this beautiful valley and owning my families design business.
D’Adamo: What was your favorite class at Napa High?
Stober: 3. It’s hard to pick my favorite class in high school. I actually enjoyed going to school, well for the most part, I was a teenager. On a serious note, some of the classes I really enjoyed was photography with Mr. Fogle, even though he couldn't tell the difference between me and my best friend, Holli. Also journalism with Mr. Benson, both of these classes really brought out my creative side and probably another reason I have a photography business today. Another favorite on the more fun side was our Econ & Gov class with Mrs. Imrie. It was senior year and the whole class was pretty much friends. There was never a dull day in that classroom.
D’Adamo: What was your favorite athletic moment at Napa High?
Stober: I was lucky enough to have a lot of successful moments and games during my softball career at Napa High. Being a pitcher on the Varsity team my JV year I thought was a great accomplishment. One of the games that always sticks out in my mind until this day was my during my senior year, it was a game against the Fairfield Falcons. The game was away that day and I was excited to be the starting pitcher. Fairfield was a really good team and their pitcher, Alicia Hollowell was incredible. She held a national strikeout record for high school, she was always on point and she had a lot of speed. It was an intense game and both teams battled hard. I ended up striking her out and I also got a nice hit off of her, one of the only three to do that during the game. A lot of people in the league probably thought we couldn't win but we did 2-1. We also broke their winning streak right at the end of the season which was pretty incredible. I personally couldn't have been happier with my performance that game. To beat a team and a player (Alicia) that was so successful was an amazing feat in my softball career.
D’Adamo: How much do you feel you have grown personally since graduating from high school and how much of that do you trace to athletics?
Stober: Since graduating high school I have grown in a lot of ways. I have taken a lot that I have learned from my teachers and coaches and implemented them into my life. As I mentioned earlier being an athlete, playing softball and being a part of a team meant a lot to me growing up. Not only was I a part of a team, I was a part of a family. We grew up together through those rough teenage years and I couldn't be more thankful to have had that bond. We were a group of hard working girls that wanted to be the best. Now as an adult having that drive a passion to win and be better is something that I use everyday. I feel like I am always learning something new and striving to be the best me that I can be. If I hadn't play sports I really don't know the kind of person that I would be today.
D’Adamo: Within your family, who have been the most influential people?
Stober: My dad, hands down. He was my biggest fan and he's the one that got me started into sports. There is no doubt that I got my competitiveness from him. Not only was he my biggest supporter he was my coach. He was not one of those parent coaches that babies you and puts you in to play every time because you were their kid, he loved me but was probably always the hardest on me when something didn't go right or I was goofing off. At times back then I thought he was just being mean but he knew my potential and I saw that he was just pushing me to do better and succeed, and I did. He also would drive me out to Sacramento every week for pitching and hitting lessons. The lessons were only 15 minutes each but to him it was worth it to have me learn from some of the best! Not only did he drive me out there every week but other girls on my team as well for hitting and catching lessons. It's hard to put into words how thankful I am for his dedication to me and something I loved to do.
D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports you would most like to meet.
Stober: This is a tough one. I look up to a lot of people in the sports world but I'm probably going to have to say Jenny Finch. I always wanted to be like her, to be the best. She played in the summer olympics which was a dream of mine. In more ways that one she made a name for herself in the softball world and I would love to just meet her one day.
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