CHIDESTER Amanda

General
SOFTBALL COUPLE
In 2020 she became engaged to her partner, Anissa Urtez, who plays softball for Mexico and may also compete at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. "We've had a bunch of conversations about it [competing at the Olympic Games]. Whoever [wins a] medal, we're going to be happy for each other no matter what. No matter what." Urtez says that while they support each other off the field, they remain rivals on the pitch. "We don't know each other when we're on the field. It's game on." (outsports.com, 15 Dec 2020)

WAKE-UP CALL
She was not included on Team USA's roster for 2019, which she says caused her to re-evaluate her approach to training. She asked her coaches what she needed to work on, and focused on improving during her time playing for the Chicago Bandits in the NPF. She was named NPF Player of the Year and won a number of other awards, and found herself back on the US team in 2020. "I got to experience what it feels like to not be on that [team] list [in 2019]. They told me I'm not good enough to be on this team. I could be mad at them or do something about it and go fight for it and prove that I am. That's the route that I took. It wasn't over for me yet. What was it that I needed to do? I could be in better shape, I could be stronger, I could be quicker. I needed to get my body to be able to do things I wanted it to do, especially catching. I caught in high school, but I didn't catch in college and I needed to catch up to everyone. All the things I told myself I needed to get better at, I felt like I did. That was a lot due to being with the Bandits and being able to have that practice and all those games." (softballamerica.com, 10 Oct 2019; wilson.com, 01 Oct 2019)

JAPAN STINT AND COACHING
She played in the Japan Women's Softball League in 2015 for the Toda Medics. Afterwards she returned to the United States of America to serve as assistant coach for the softball team at Duke University, overseeing the team's hitters and infielders. "I have always wanted to coach. Ever since I got to [University of] Michigan and worked the camps, I knew that was something I wanted to do. When coach [Marissa] Young asked me if I wanted to coach at Duke, it felt like the same moment Hutch [Carol Hutchins] told me she wanted me to play at Michigan - an 'Oh my god, yes!' moment." (goduke.com, 01 Jan 2016; teamusa.org, 26 Oct 2016; LinkedIn profile, 01 Apr 2019)

NEW PRO LEAGUE
In 2020 she was the first member of the US Olympic softball team to sign with Athletes Unlimited, a new professional softball league. "If someone is out there willing to put money toward our sport, to try and grow our sport, why wouldn't I give it a shot? I think it's amazing that Athletes Unlimited is wanting to invest in softball and help us try to grow this game on another level because we all know it has been struggling at that next level." In August 2020 she was selected as the number one pick in the inaugural player draft. (espn.co.uk, 20 Apr 2020; flosoftball.com, 27 Aug 2020; insidethegames.biz, 29 Aug 2020)

NPF EXPERIENCE
She was chosen by the Akron Racers as the 11th overall pick in the 2012 NPF Draft out of university, but opted to play with the national team that season. She played part-time for the Scrap Yard Dawgs in 2016 while continuing to focus on national team duties. In 2019 she signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Bandits, with whom she completed her first full NPF season. (softballamerica.com, 21 Aug 2019)