Butler Bball girls

Leatha, Lauren, Lisa, Wendy at Wendy's Hall of Fame induction.

Debbie (Buzz), Lisa, Wendy, Lauren and Leatha at Wendy's Hall of Fame Induction

Jenny, Christine, Lisa, Leatha, Wendy, Lauren at Lisa's Thanksgiving get together

We "basketball girls" have known each other for a long time. Christine and I especially have been friends since we were in 1st grade together at Butler Catholic. I got to know Jenny and Lisa around 6th grade or so when Christine and I played against them in rec. league basketball. My Mom also knew Lisa's grandparents very well who were some of the "paisons" at St. Michael's parish.

I became friends with Leatha and Wendy in high school and the 3 of us grew very close in those years. We got to know Buzz from being a bball alum (she graduated a few years ahead of Jen, Chris, Lisa and me.) Buzz also worked the door at the Y and used to let us in to play ball whether we were members or not. Buzz was a standout bball player for Butler and then Grove City College and is in the Butler Sports Hall of Fame along with Leatha and now Wendy.

Despite some of us living in different cities or states, we have remained close friends to this day. There was special bond forged between us in surviving pre season conditioning, locker room pranks, away game bus trips, crying after close losses, pushing each other to work out in the summers, endless pick up games at the Fr. Marinaro courts in the summers (sometimes playing until well after midnight).

Even though as a team (the ones in the last picture above plus a few who are not pictured) we never won the WPIAL or states (came very close to doing both), there are people to this day who remember our team. They remember our stand out players, but more importantly, they remember us as a cohesive and hard working TEAM who had a great set of hard working and supportive parents. That is something we are all very proud of.