Kloezeman's Olympic dream comes true

As the host nation, Greece earned an automatic bid to the Olympic tournament, despite having no real softball history. As a result, the Greek Softball Federation opened up its roster to any player who could trace their Greek heritage back to the mother country. Kloezeman, whose birth certificate reads: "Chloe Kanalakis-Kloezeman" qualified under those conditions.

Kloezeman said that her family really does embrace its Greek heritage and it wasn't just a ruse to qualify for the Greek team.

"My family embraces the Greek culture a lot," Kloezeman said, adding that her family attends several of the Greek festivals around the Bay Area. "It's not like [the culture] was new to me."

But just because Kloezeman was eligible didn't mean she automatically made the team. She still had to go through a tryout process that began two years ago.

In March, she was invited to participate in a four-team, international "test" tournament at the Olympic venue in Greece. Kloezeman, a shortstop, didn't know what to expect when she got there.

"I was pretty unknown," Kloezeman said. "I didn't know how much playing time I was going to get. When I got there, I didn't expect to see a lot of playing time. But I started the first inning of the first game at shortstop and I finished there."

Kloezeman said she benefited from the fact that the shortstop that was playing in front of her was wrapping up her college season and unable to join the team in Greece.

Kloezeman took advantage. She finished the tournament first in runs batted in with eight. She was second in batting average and slugging percentage - .429 and .786, respectively - and was fifth in runs scored. On defense, she committed only one error in five games and had the most chances of any shortstop in the tournament.

"It was pretty nerve-wracking," Kloezeman said of having to play against seasoned, adult softball players. "It was intimidating but in my first at bat, I think I hit a line drive that hit off the shortstop's glove and drove in the first run of the game. After that I was OK."

Kloezeman, 18, leaves July 6 for New York where she will join the team before embarking on a trip with about a month's worth of games. The Greeks will play on the East Coast before heading to the Czech Republic, Amsterdam and Germany. The Olympics open Aug. 6.

"It's really an amazing experience," Kloezeman said. "I've never been out of the country, except to Mexico. For someone of my age, it's pretty amazing if I (get to play) or not. Just being in the Olympic Village is something most people never get to experience.

"I don't even know what to think," Kloezeman said. "We've been told it's going to be the best times of our lives. I'm overwhelmed thinking about it."

Kloezeman won't be alone. Lindsey James, a former Sequoia High standout and Current Cal player who just finished her sophomore season, was also named to the Greek Olympic squad. Since the two were two years apart, they never directly faced each other in high school and were in different age groups during summer ball.

"We've become close since this (Greek) team. It's really neat," Kloezeman said. "Once this is over, I'll still have a friend I'm in contact with."