PL Idaho Falls Chukars

Geena Davis To Throw Out First Pitch At Chukars Game

Published on July 9, 2012 under Pioneer League (PL)
Idaho Falls Chukars News Release


IDAHO FALLS, Idaho; July 5, 2012 Academy Award-winning actress Geena Davis will throw out the first pitch at the Idaho Falls Chukars game on July 28 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of her hit film, "A League of Their Own."

She'll also be celebrating the women who played for the Idaho Falls Rockettes fast-pitch softball team in the 1940s and `50s. Several former players from the local area will be in attendance and honored during Saturday's game.

Following the game, Zions Bank and Ball Ventures' Snake River Landing will present a free community screening of "A League of Their Own," which tells the story of two sisters who join the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League and struggle to help it succeed amidst their own growing rivalry.

Admission to the game is free after 8:45 p.m. and fans are invited to sit on the ball field to watch the film (rated PG) on a giant screen.

While Davis is best known for the iconic characters she created in such films as "Thelma and Louise," her latest endeavor, the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, takes her behind the scenes as an advocate for young women.

Founded in 2004, the non-profit institute and its programming arm, See Jane, are engaging film and television creators to dramatically increase the percentages of female characters and reduce gender stereotyping in media made for children ages 11 and under. Simply put, her motto is, "If girls can see it, they can be it."

The Idaho Falls Rockettes were blazing their own trails more than 60 years ago. As the only women's softball team in Idaho Falls, they often played against the men's teams and won.

"We played some men's teams and we beat a lot of them because our pitcher was swift," recalls former Rockette Dixie Hunting, 83, of Iona, referring to pitcher Twila Shippen Bigler. "That would really get their ego when she would strike them out."

The team notched state championships in 1947 and 1951, with five players named to the All-Star Team in 1951.

"I loved it. Our whole team was like a family, we still are," says Joy Dwigans, 80, of Idaho Falls, who played shortstop, right field and pitcher during her six years on the team. "You couldn't believe all the people that came out to watch us play."

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