HISTORY PAGE
FLYING DOLPHINS
The History of the Flying Dolphins

The Flying Dolphins are a group of young men who have come together for two reasons; for 
friendship and for the love of the game of softball.  The philosophy of our team is to 
simply play our best day in and day out, and then just let the chips fall where they may.  
As Dolphins, we feel that if we consistantly put our best on the field, the rest will take 
care of itself.  We as teammates have made commitments to each other to uphold the values 
and traditions of our team, and of one another.  You won't find any weak spots on this 
roster, and behind every one of our phenomenal players is a great personality.  We have 14 
unique Dolphins on this team, and there isn't another group of guys that has more fun 
doing what they do.  Not only does everyone on this team have the ability to make great 
plays, but what is even more special is that every single Dolphin is a leader in one way 
or another.  We are a softball team with a mission...a mission to be the best. 


The Flying Dolphins Franchise was established in early 1996, and the team first took the 
field later that same summer as members of the "Upper C" Division in the Eastview Men's 
League in Apple Valley, MN.  The summer was one of many ups and downs, but we as a team 
learned a lot about the game of softball and more importantly, about ourselves.  The 
Dolphins finished with just one forfeit win that summer, but we didn't measure our success  
in victories and defeats, but rather in the the wonderful relationships we made and the 
experiences we shared together.  The season was marked by one outstanding stretch, and that 
was setting a tournement record (we feel anyway) by playing in eight straight games on a 
single Saturday.  That amazing streak was a perfect example of our team's willingness to
compete as hard as we can and for as long as we can.  It also reflected our "never say die"
attitude that has carried us through all challenges and above all obstacles.


The season of 1997, known by the Dolphin players as "The Season of Change," saw a shift to a 
new mindset, one of champions...and started us on the road to excellence.  The year began 
with the loss of a couple Dolphins, but their shoes were more than filled by the addition of 
two more.  The team felt that in order to compete, the move to the "Lower C" Division was a 
necessary one.  In the end, the decision paid dividends.  We held our own during the year 
by picking up our first two true victories on the field.  The first was a huge lift for the 
team.  We pulled away with a 13-10 win in first class fashion and never trailed in the game.  
It was then we knew that this team was something special, and that the Dolphins were for real.  
Our second win was nothing short of spectacular.  The Flying Dolphins put a 7-6 hurt squarely 
on the cheek of the first place team in our division.  The word of our new found dominance must 
have spread, because after picking up a tie along the way, we were forfeited to twice for a 
final season record of 4-7-1.


The season of 1998, could have gone better then it did for the dolphins.  We started the season 
off in a Upper D and C league.  But it didn't matter.  Many new milestones were reached in 1998.
The first one was a 20 run decision over a quality team.  They never knew what hit them.  Another 
was the incredible tournament runs.  In the Lac Lavon tournament, we even finished with a winning 
record.  And that was only the tip of the iceberg for the dolphins.  There were no blow outs, no
 big innings given up.  We got better and as long as we keep this up, who knows what's next? 


The 1999 season was the bomb.  The dolphins finally surfaced as an actual player in the softball 
universe.  The phins not only finished with a winning record, but also finished tied for second in
their league and advanced to the American Softball Association Regional Tournament in Hastings.  The 
double-header league was a roaring success as the dolphins finished with a 16-6 record, capping numerous 
highlighted games like the single night sweep of the first and second place teams and a 35-15 
trampling of another.  The only thing hurting the season was a hard luck tournament run, but if 
we were perfect, it wouldn't be a challenge, now would it?  The season was the most successful in 
dolphin history (see above) and things will only keep getting better.


The 2000 season brought many changes to the dolphins team.  After finishing so well the year before, the dolphins we forced up into the C league.  It took some adjusting to get use to the better talent, but the dolphins held there own.  They took there shots and gave some back.  The tournament circuit was again a rough road.  The dolphins finished with a losing record for the first time in two years, but learned a lot about playing as a team and that winning isn't always the most important thing.


After the 2000 season, the Dolphins decided it was time for a break.  They did not compete as a team, although a few were recruited for other leagues.  The break gave the dolphins time to think and collect their thoughts, and search in life for what makes them happiest.  


The break obviously did them well.  The dolphins, selecting to move to a different night (Sundays) showed the weekend crowds what they were made of.  They got back on track, going 13-11-1 and taking a fourth place finish.  They missed 3rd place by a half game.  There were a lot of positives experienced in the 2002 season, including a much improved defense.  The tournaments were again the tripping point, but everyone got drunk afterwards, so it was considered a success (plus the malts were damn good!)  


The dolphins will be returning for the 2003 season, hopefully back to the original thursday nights.  It will be a fun winter of training to get ready for the season, so if you see a dolphin who does not look like he is in softball shape, buy him a beer and give him a pat on the back.  We'll see you all next year.  Thanks for the support.


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