An honor for Gloria Edmonds, an athlete who stays involved in many ways

We thought maybe Gloria (Battle) Edmonds had fallen between the cracks, her accomplishments in various sports achieved without the usual notoriety reserved for those athletes that garner big headlines in papers and in social media.

But no, she was noticed by voters that nominated her for induction with the 2021 class of the Kitsap Sports Hall of Fame, scheduled for Feb. 5 at noon at Kiana Lodge in Poulsbo.

“Wow, it's mind blowing,” said a surprised Edmonds. “It’s not often you get recognized for your accomplishments. I didn’t do it to be recognized, so it’s a surprise.”

More: Kitsap Sports Hall of Fame class includes 15 individuals, two teams

It’s not surprising to those who watched her compete over the years. First at Bremerton High School in volleyball, track and field and basketball before graduating in 1991, then a brief extension of her volleyball career, and for much longer on softball and basketball teams based out of Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, where she has worked for 25 years and is now holds the title of Quality Assurance Specialist Supervisor.

Her introduction to athletics came as a result of her late father (James Battle), who raised her and two sisters while collecting athletic equipment.

“He would get all he could from St. Vincent De Paul or the Salvation Army – all the bikes – put them outside and say go outside and play,” says Edmonds. “Our dad never forced us to play, we just enjoyed playing sports.”

So she and her sisters (Teresa and Freeda) and neighbors played and were competitive in athletics around 8th Street and Veneta Avenue in West Bremerton, with most of the outside play area being done at Star of the Sea School. That led her to compete in athletics as she entered high school.

It wasn’t like there were a slew of girls competing in track and field in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but Edmonds was there and she was good for collecting points anywhere the Knights needed them.

She competed mainly in the long and triple jumps, shot put and discus throws, and did well enough to advance to the state track meet. She established the school record with a throw of 127 feet, 4 inches in the discus that still stands and finished 7th in the discus at the state meet her senior year. Edmonds also competed at state in the long jump that year, with a best of 15-10.

It was track and field where she achieved most of her athletic success, claiming over 25 ribbons for placing among the top athletes at big invitational meets throughout the state, including the South Kitsap Invitational. She lettered all four years, was a team captain and was a two-time district champion in the discus, set school records in the shot put, jumps and throws and was voted first team All-Olympic League.

Doug Wagner, who coached girls' basketball at Bremerton for 12 years, remembers Battle (Edmonds) for her excellent work ethic.

“She came ready to play every day,” says Wagner. “When asked to step in she was very cooperative, on and off the court. She was always smiling, had a good attitude and always trying to improve herself. She was somebody you could count on. Just a good natural athlete.”

Battle took that ability to Olympic College for two years, achieving second team all-NWACC in volleyball, and playing basketball for coach Dave Sturgeon. She didn’t start in basketball, but was an important part of the success the Rangers had under Sturgeon.

“What I remember about Gloria,” says Sturgeon, owner of Cutting Edge Lawn and Grounds Care, “is she was an extremely hard worker, very positive, upbeat attitude and a very good teammate. She didn’t get a lot of minutes, but she never complained. Just a great young lady.

“Actually, her claim to fame was volleyball. She was a very good volleyball player, a very good athlete.”

Her interest in in competition may have only increased since her college playing days ended. For 15 years, Edmonds coached and played basketball for the Riggers’ Young Bucks, a men's team, and stuck with it until her first son was born.

She's since returned to the court, playing and coaching in Bremerton's over-30 men’s league and also with a women’s team that plays in the Suquamish League in Poulsbo. She was recruited for that team after a game in the shipyard, where Edmonds keeps playing with the guys.

“It’s funny, people think it’s a slower league,” says Edmonds of the over-30 league. “It’s just the opposite. When you are on offense (all teammates) have to be across the half-court line before you can score. So you are yelling across the court to get over the line. So it’s just the opposite of what you think. It’s fastbreak (basketball).”

An unintended consequence of playing on men’s teams became clear one game when a player brought his young daughter to watch.

“The guy told me I inspired his daughter to play,” says Edmonds. “She would come to the games just to see me play. I never thought about it that way.”

Edmonds got involved in putting on clinics in volleyball and basketball. She started them mainly to keep up the interest among shipyard workers so she could build teams in the sports. She ran the volleyball clinics for 10 years and basketball for eight.

Edmonds used to play volleyball in the Bremerton City League but lack of players shut that down. She began playing softball after one of the Riggers asked her to play on their Red Apple sponsored team.

“At one time I was playing (softball) in many tournaments,” says Edmonds. “I forgot our anniversary one year – I was at a tournament in Kennewick.”

Why does Edmonds, now 49, participate in so many activities? It’s in her blood. She needs to do it.

“It’s exercise,” she says. “It gets the adrenaline flowing, and I am very competitive. If somebody beats me, I’m more than happy. That is awesome if somebody can beat me. I don’t want to get my butt handed to me, but I give a lot of respect to people who can do it. I’m not arrogant. I do like to give people a run for their money, especially now that I’ve gotten older."

Edmonds and her sister Freeda even coached a Warren Avenue peewee basketball team in 1999. But most of her coaching has been in the shipyard as she has become sort of the go-to person for sports. Want to start a team, go see Gloria.

Gloria and husband Rickie Edmonds have two boys – Eric and Ollice. Ollice is named after Rickie’s great grandfather, who hung around the Negro Leagues enough to gain a nickname – Chicken Head Eddy.

“He was too young to play in the Negro Leagues, but they gave him the nickname because he was always eating chicken,” says Edmonds. “His middle name was Ollice.”

Edmonds doesn’t have a nickname. Maybe she should. After all she is a force for activities in the shipyard, a force for good healthy exercise and, oh yeah, as a good-hearted competitor who will congratulate you for beating her. Just as long as it doesn’t happen very often.

Kitsap Sports Hall of Fame, Class of 2021 ceremony

When: Feb. 5 (social hour at noon, induction ceremony at 1 p.m.)

Where: Kiana Lodge (14976 Sandy Hook Road NE, Poulsbo)

What: Annual banquet hosted by the Kitsap Athletic Roundtable honors athletes, coaches and officials from West Sound.

Tickets: $40 (available by emailing requests to KAR secretary/treasurer Jodee Strickland at jodee.strickland@aol.com, or online at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/5324136

More info: kitsapathleticroundtable.org

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Terry Mosher: All-around athlete Gloria Edmonds gets her recognition