ROCK SPRINGS — It was only fitting that the first day of Wyoming high school girls softball practice kicked off on International Women’s Day.

For the Rock Springs High School Lady Tigers softball team, March 8 will not only be remembered as a day to celebrate women around the world, but a day remembered as the first time they took to the field for high school softball.

As balls were tossed and the feet hit the ground running at the Paul J. Wataha baseball fields, nothing was more noticeable than the smiles of the girls on the field who now get to live out their wishes of playing softball at the high school level.

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The issue of softball as a sanctioned sport came up in Wyoming in October 2018 in Sweetwater County. Through the efforts of players, coaches, parents and other individuals, the Wyoming High School Activities Association (WHSAA) voted unanimously on November 5, 2019 to approve softball as an official high school sport in Wyoming.

The addition of softball as a sanctioned sport corrected the imbalance of sports offered to boys compared to girls. Wyoming had been out of compliance with Title IX since 2009-10 when gymnastics was cut by WHSAA.

It’s certainly a dream come true for many girls around the state, but for the girls here in Sweetwater County, repping their high school colors means the world to them.

The first softball game of the inaugural season for the Lady Tigers will take place on March 19 in Cheyenne.