Gretna assistant coach an 'inspiration' to players

GRETNA — Ashley Vasser ripped a foul ball down the first base line late in the sixth inning Thursday.

Robin Dalton, Gretna’s first base coach for that half inning, made a diving attempt to snare the foul ball, only to miss it by mere inches. The mother of four quickly hopped to her feet and shared a laugh with Brittnie Cooke who was on first base at the time.

Meanwhile, the rest of the members of the Hawks in the dugout gave a rousing applause for the effort, much like the effort the team gave in defeating Nelson County 5-2.

“Actually, she’s an inspiration to the team. This is probably where we’re getting the fight from,” Gretna coach Ketina Brooks said. “Everyday she’s here, she’s out here fighting with a smile on her face.”

The rallying cry for the Hawks this season has been the heart and fight of the sixth-year assistant coach’s battle with breast cancer. The young team, littered with sophomores and juniors and a senior or two sprinkled in, are mature enough to know the significance of what Dalton is going through and have dedicated their performance this season to her.

Gretna will wear special pink jerseys today on the road against Dan River, something the Hawks wanted to do at home on Tuesday against Nelson County, but pushed back due to the rain.

It hasn’t been hard for Dalton to hide the tears during the season. The upbeat nature of the Hawks has made life easy while she is there, with every girl sporting a smile on her face and giving encouraging words to Dalton. Most of the time, they act like everything is normal.

“I think sometimes, to a certain point, it might be a front in a way,” Dalton said. “You try not to think about too much, you try to go on with life, because you know, they tell you, ‘You look good, you sure are taking it well.’ You really don’t have a whole lot of choice when you’re confronted with that kind of thing. You have to keep your head up and think positive. It is a scary thing, I don’t care what type you have, it’s a scary thing.”

Early on in her recovery, Dalton missed at least one game or practice from the strength of the sets of drugs she had to take. As of this past Monday, she has taken six of the eight sets of drugs and doesn’t miss those occasional practices or games.

Dalton’s four children — Donnie, Teresa, Kelley and Kim — did not find out until Christmas time that their mother was battling breast cancer. While she knew, Robin did not want to put an overwhelming weight on the minds of Teresa, who was finishing up mid-term exams, and ninth-grade twins Kelley and Kim, who were bustling around Gretna in the final stages of SOLs. While she admits it was the hardest thing to do, each one of her children reacted differently — whether it be through tears, silence, kind words or a simple hug.

“She really loves the game and she loves these girls and she loves being here for them,” daughter and current Randolph College pitcher Teresa Dalton said. Dalton’s bright smile slowly fades as her puffy, red eyes can’t hold back the tears. She sees her mother out of the corner of her eye mingling with the team, helping girls pack their equipment while her bandana flails in the wind. She has to turn away to keep from completely breaking down.

“She’s definitely one of the strongest people I know to go through what she’s been through and she doesn’t complain about it. She comes out here every day and she’s just happy to be here.”

Robin sports yet another smile during Thursday’s softball game after Kelley makes a play to her left to get a runner out at first. What brings a bigger smile to her face is the fight that this year’s team has after several key players from last year’s state championship team graduated.

It comes to the forefront when the Hawks rally late in a game against a Dogwood District foe. Young teams sometime fold under the pressure, whereas this team has kept fighting — the same fight Brooks uses as inspiration for Gretna.

“Just seeing her not getting upset over anything and just staying up about stuff — I think that’s a good example for us,” sophomore pitcher Nichole Mills said. “When things go bad on the field or off the field, just not to give up or lay but, but to keep fighting. I think that’s what she tries to show us.”

While Robin has relied on her team to grow stronger as the days and treatments go by, another source of strength has come from those who have battled through cancer and survived. It’s something that time on the softball field — or any type of field, as a matter of fact — can’t replace.

“It’s a special bond between people who have had it and survived,” Robin said. “They know what it takes to get through the hard part.”

Robin eagerly shows off an oversized Livestrong bracelet that she wears on her right wrist. It was given to her by Jeff Bowler, father of outfielder Nikki Bowler. Bowler is a survivor of testicular cancer and once he found out about what Robin was going through, he was there as support for her and his daughter’s team.

“When I did hear about Robin, Nikki came home from practice and Robin had basically told them that day that she had it,” Jeff said. “My first reaction was just to call her just to let her know I was thinking about her. Immediately, (I) pulled one out and sent it to her the next day through Nikki, hoping that maybe she would draw some inspiration from it as it has helped me.”

Jeff’s sister passed away from breast cancer a few years ago and when news reached the team, Nikki was one of the first to go to Robin and tell her she would be there for her. It also allowed the junior to be an outlet for girls to come to when they need someone to talk to.

“It’s just the drive to win for her,” Nikki Bowler said.