Crystl Bustos

(http://blog.cleveland.com)

"For years, Bustos has been painted in one dimension, as a bruising basher, the Babe Ruth of softball, a top-heavy woman wielding a wicked stick."(www.nytimes.com)

Crystl is a woman of many accomplishments. She grew up in Canyon Country, California and is still currently living there. She did not walk with her senior class at graduation because she still had to attend summer school to graduate. She was very close to flunking out of high school her freshman year. She fought frequently in school and was suspended more than once for it. She was also in trouble for stealing.

Crystl was born on September 8th of 1977. Her parents are George and Diana Bustos and she has three siblings, a sister, April, and two brothers, Gabe and Victor. Her Father, George, was a VCR repairman who spent time in jail when Crystl was a teenager. He left her mother, Diana, to take care of Crystl, April, Victor, and Gabe. She has made amends with her father, her now "best friend". She bought the house that is four doors down from the home she was raised in, her parents are still living there. She shares this house with her brother, Gabe, and his wife.

(http://upload.wikimedia.org)

Crystl did not have a plan after high school, she was barely planning to stay in high school. But she started to recieve letters for colleges in the mail, which changed her perspective. No one in her family had ever recieved a scholarship. Bustos did not have grades good enough to attend these colleges though. She liked the idea of playing softball for two more years, so Crystl attended Palm Beach Community College in Florida. At the the time she was so poorly educated she didn't even know where Florida was. While playing softball for Palm Beach, she and her teammates won two NJCAA National Championships, two-time NJCAA first team All American, and two-time NJCAA player of the year. Crystl has been giving lessons, training, and playing for USA softball since 2004.

(http://www.softballperformance.com)

Crystl is my hero because even though she had a rough start, she has accomplished a lot. She was a World Cup Champion(2006&2007), a three-time Pan American gold medalist(1999,2003,&2007), a World Champion(2006), a two-time Olympic gold medalist(2000&2004), and an Olympic Silver medalist. She is out there helping others achieve their goals too. She is a dedicated and talented softball player, and she is a great leader. Those are some of the many reasons why I look up to her.

Crystl has played for the Akron Racers, the Orlando Wahoos and more. She had some rough spots in her life but she still managed to make it to the Olympics several times. She has also won many titles throughout her career. Crystl didn't have the best start but she has managed to become what she is today, which is a great player. This is why Crystl Bustos is my hero.