Worldly King Moore takes reigns of Softball

In 1995, Leslie King Moore headed off to a soccer stadium in Canton, China where she would captain New Zealand in the Women's World Cup.

On the way out, King Moore could not help but notice a woman, who must have been at least 80 years old, scrubbing the path on the way out of the hotel.

When King Moore and the team returned to head to yet another banquet hall, the lady was still hunched over, knees on the ground, grinding her frail muscles as she lathered the ground.

"She had moved on several feet -- we're talking 10 hours later -- she was still scrubbing bricks and I walked into another huge banquet room."

It remains a beacon that shines as to how fortunate she is and the value of having travelled for most of her life.

With worldwide experience in multiple sports, King Moore enters as the new head coach of the Penn softball team with the uphill battle of rebuilding a program that has been searching to climb over the .500-mark in the Ivy League for the first time since 1982.

Having captained New Zealand in softball and soccer and played on the U.S. national team in softball, King Moore arrives to Penn with an arsenal of experience both on and off the field.

"Leadership defines Leslie.... Leslie was a natural leader, and she was a perfectionist and likes things done the way things are done," said Cal-State Fullerton coach Michelle Gromacki, King Moore's college and New Zealand club teammate.

"That's been her attitude and that's been who she is. I'm sure that will carry on over coaching, too. She's like that as a person."

Last year, the "perfectionist" took the opportunity to build from the bottom, assuming the reins of George Washington's softball team in the program's first year of existence.

With 15 athletes on the roster and facing a slate of established Atlantic 10 opponents, the Colonials faltered, losing 33 of 36 games.

She took a considerable amount of flak for leaving the George Washington program in its infancy, but could not pass up the opportunity to come to Penn -- her family lives in the Philadelphia area, and she commuted to Washington last year.

Having competed in athletics for her entire life, King Moore takes pride in striving toward a goal.

The same drive that spurred her to captain New Zealand's 2000 Olympic softball squad motivates King Moore to inject passion for Penn softball into the program. A passion that she believes has been absent in previous years.

"Obviously a big part of that I think is instilling pride in the players and in the program," King Moore said.

"That's a grass-roots thing. Once the student-athletes get that mentality that they're proud to be out there and they learn to win, they get that sort of swagger, and right now I don't think that swagger's there."

Already having blazed the recruiting trails in California, meeting several of this year's freshmen while there, King Moore is settling into her new post knowledgeable about the talent she will encounter on Warren Field.

But King Moore isn't worried about the talent. With an international flavor and swagger, the national star looks to establish the program as an entity that mandates respect in the softball community.

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