Mark Ciavola

Work and home life kept me from joining the Las Vegas league for the 12 years I lived there. So, when I moved to Austin, I decided the best way to make new friends was to go where the people were. Now I wish I didn't miss out on 12 years of softball.

In April 2018, I tore my quad off the bone in a game. The opposing team came into our dugout to high-five me after the game. My manager and teammates were incredibly supportive, taking me to the hospital, helping me move apartments a few weeks later, and checking up on me. Other players visited me in the hospital and brought me food at home. I'll never forget those acts of kindness, and they are why I was back on a field 5 months later.

Helping people find a community of friends, giving them a safe and welcoming place to play, helping to provide them with experiences like travel tournaments and the Gay Softball World Series all keep me coming back. It's 100% about my players and continuing to grow the league through recruitment.

I've learned that it's more important to provide an experience to players where they don't have to see what happens behind the scenes ("how the sausage is made"), and can simply show up and have fun.

Gaming, cooking, travel, bowling, attending sporting events (Boston & UNLV teams especially), trivia, karaoke, and more.