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Elliott spends summer at Hall of Fame


Former St. Louis Cardinal shortstop Ozzie Smith started in a record 10 consecutive All-Star games during his 19-season career. He compiled a .262 batting average, 2,460 hits, 580 stolen bases and 13 Gold Glove awards. He set major league records for his position with most assists (8,375); most double plays (1,590), most total chances accepted (12,624), most years with 500 or more assists (8) and most years leading the league in assists and chances accepted.

For Smith's accomplishments he was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. His July 28 induction ceremony is a prestigious honor reserved only for the most accomplished individuals in baseball's history.

Beth Elliott's softball accomplishments at UTM are decent, but they're a far cry from Smith's stats. Elliott started 28-of-49 games this past season as an outfielder and hit .231. She was among the team's best defensive players with a .968 fielding percentage.

Yet, Elliott who graduated from UTM Aug. 4, spent her entire summer in the Baseball Hall of Fame - as a student intern in retail services.

Elliott was one of more than 30 students from across the United States to participate in the Frank and Peggy Steele Internship Program for Youth Leadership Development at the Baseball Hall of Fame. Steele interns receive meaningful, hands-on training in numerous professional areas, including research, exhibit design, membership, education, archives and collections management, accounting, retail, visitor services, programming and public relations.

For Elliott, the internship completed the requirements for her degree in health and human performance.

"It's been a great summer so far," Elliott said. "I was looking forward to induction weekend, and it was everything they said it would be and more."

The night before Smith's induction, a special reception was held in his honor at the Hall of Fame. The rules were set, and everyone in retail services was told no autographs and no photos. For Elliott, the reception was like a dream where Hall of Famers came to life. She waited on Yogi Berra, Willie Mays, Carlton Fisk, Don Sutton, Dave Winfield and Reggie Jackson.

Speaking and interacting with the baseball greats was just the beginning for Elliott. The next day at the induction, Stan Musial played "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" on his harmonica, and Smith's induction speech brought tears to many, including Elliott.

"He teared me up pretty good," she said.

Elliott's passion for the game began when she was just a little girl growing up in Dover, Tenn. "When I was growing up we were always trying to get a game up, whether it was baseball or basketball. We would always play something when relatives came to visit," she said.

Elliott's athletic career began in the fourth grade with basketball and expanded to softball during her high school days. "I have always been a Braves fan, but Ozzie Smith and the Cardinals were some of the first players I remember watching on television."

Although Elliott admits she is still a Braves fan, she treks to St. Louis several times a year to watch the Cardinals. Donley Canary, Elliott's softball coach this past season at UTM, said he never met anyone as passionate about baseball as Elliott. "Early in the season we played in Atlanta, and we had some free time. Beth was the first one to get everyone organized and ready to go to the Braves game. She didn't want to miss a single pitch," Canary said.

"Beth is a super kid," Canary continued. "She works hard at everything she does, and she's extremely smart."

She's so smart, she's made the Dean's list five consecutive semesters at UTM. Elliott's ability to utilize her resources and her passion for baseball led her to the Internet and the internship at the Hall of Fame.

"I knew I had to do an internship, so I started looking for opportunities in baseball," Elliott said. "I looked at a lot of Major League teams and a bunch of Minor League teams, and the Baseball Hall of Fame." Once she learned about the opportunity at the Hall of Fame, she applied and completed the required phone interview. Soon she was driving the 20 hours north to Cooperstown, N.Y.

Elliott's first trip to the Hall of Fame was the day she reported to work, May 21. Her home away-from-home for the summer was Hardwick College, about 30 minutes from Cooperstown. Most of the interns stayed at Hardwick and made the daily drive to the Hall of Fame.

"My parents were extremely excited about my internship, but they didn't want me to make Cooperstown my home," Elliott said.

But after spending the summer in the home of legends, Elliott is going to be hard pressed to abandon her love of the game - after all, she can claim she was a Hall of Famer.

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Bet poses outside of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Coopertown, N. Y. Beth fulfilled a life dream by working there this past summer.