Hard Work Comes Easy to Robertson : Softball: Fullerton player helped care for her four siblings. Now she helps Titans reach NCAA Regionals.

Sports always have been a special joy to Cal State Fullerton softball player Heidi Robertson.

When she was in high school in Bakersfield, it always was the fun part of her life.

Living in a single-parent family with four other children, and her mother working late as a bartender, things were never easy.

There was never much money, but always a lot of work.

“Being the oldest girl, I had to make sure that all the kids were up, had breakfast, were dressed and ready for school because my mom didn’t get home until early in the morning from her job,” she said. The children included a brother a year older, another four years younger and two younger sisters. The youngest sister, now 10, has cerebral palsy.

“After going to school and then to practice, it was my job to come home and get dinner on the table for us all, then after that, to make sure the other kids had their baths, their homework was done,” she said. “Then I’d read stories to the smaller ones before I’d start doing my own homework.”

She also would would help with the family vegetable garden, and with the canning in the summer. “We did it all,” she said, with no hint of bitterness. “The whole nine yards.”

But just being able to do something she really wanted was a breath of fresh air.

So she played just about every sport for girls that Bakersfield North offered: basketball, volleyball, track and softball. And she was good at them all.

In the spring, she would practice softball and play games during the week, then run three events and the mile relay on the track team, mostly on weekends. She was seventh in the State track meet as a senior in the 400 meters.

“I would never really train for track because of softball,” she said. “I’d just go to the meets and run.”

Not much has changed since she came to Fullerton. She’s still a multi-sport athlete. But she only has to be concerned about herself now. The combination of a Pell grant and a partial athletic scholarship provides for her college expenses. “I couldn’t have gone to college without that,” she said.

For three years, she has been a regular as an outside hitter for the volleyball team. Then she switches to softball full time in the spring, and is in her third season in the Titan outfield. She has also thrown the javelin a few times with the Fullerton track team.

“I worry about her sometimes because she does try to do so much, and she puts so much pressure on herself,” Fullerton softball Coach Judi Garman said. “It’s almost like she wants to be Superwoman, and do everything. But she seems to be able to take it all in stride.”

Robertson is a good student and was the volleyball team’s scholar-athlete a year ago. “But I’m the kind of person who really has to work to get the grades,” she said.

She also sings in churches and has performed the national anthem at some sports events. She also is involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athlete and vice president of the university’s student-athlete advisory committee.

“I just have so much gumption,” she said, smiling.

Robertson was one of the speakers at a recent student-athlete honors dinner. “I wasn’t sure what to talk about, but I hear all the time kids talking about how much they have to do do,” she said. “They’re always complaining, so I made my talk about just making a commitment to get things done and doing them.”

Her commitment for this softball season is consistent with her background and personality.

“I made up my mind to have some real unselfish goals,” she said. “I wanted to be able to step forward as a leader and to try to help everyone reach our team goals,” she said.

Michelle Gromacki, one of Garman’s assistants, says Robertson has succeeded.

“You don’t become a leader just by saying that you want to be,” Gromacki said. “We can always count on her for 100% effort. She’s the kind of person that when she puts her mind to do something, she gets the job done.”

Seems like a good person to have on a nationally ranked team with a 42-15 record, going into a NCAA regional tournament that begins Friday at Northridge. Especially one hitting .330 in the leadoff spot with 15 stolen bases.

“She has great natural talent,” Garman said. “Her speed is outstanding. And she’s hitting with more power now. She used to be only a slap hitter. She’s also improved a lot defensively. I used to say a little prayer when the ball would go to her in the outfield, but that’s changed too. Her biggest contribution still is on offense. That’s where she makes things happen.”

Robertson says the added power to go with her speed and bunting ability has made her more of a threat. “They can’t be sure what I’m going to do now,” she said. “Defense was an adjustment for me. I just had a lot to learn.”

Robertson hit .301 as a sophomore and .294 last year, but this definitely has been her best season and the most enjoyable. “We’re much more of a together team this season,” she said.

She is scheduled to graduate this spring with a degree in physical education and kinesiology, and hopes to work as a strength and conditioning trainer.

At that point, she says she might return to competing in track and run for a club team. But she has no plans to just kick back after graduating.

Way too much gumption for that.