By Nathan Pace
InkFreeNews

SOUTH BEND – The World Series is underway and that means Julie Nadolny has now completed 16 baseball seasons with the South Bend Cubs. Nadolny works in promotions and guest services for the Cubs and has built long friendships through her coworkers and also team fans.

Julie and Steve Nadolny found common ground through their love for baseball. Photo submitted by Julie Nadolny.

“I love baseball and this is my summer family,” Nadolny said. “I really enjoy seeing the kids grow up. I’ve had kids as young as three all the way up to when they leave for college.”

Making sure people have fun at the ballpark is a top priority for Nadolny as the job itself has been a welcomed distraction for her. Nadolny’s main jobs have been in corrections and child welfare and the ballpark experience continues to lift her up through tough days.

“People come out here to have a good time. That’s the bottom line. If you have a really rough day, you come out to the ballpark. We are the mini amusement park in town,”Nadolny said. “You got to look at every person as if it’s their first time here. You want to make sure that their first experience here is a good time.”

For Nadolny, making sure all children at the ballpark have a good time is paramount. She is always looking out to make sure no children become separated from their parents.

“No child should ever be lost in the park because that’s a trauma. We don’t want children to have trauma,” Nadolny said.

Originally from Stevensville Michigan, Nadolny loved being involved in sports. She assisted the athletic department when she was a student at Western Michigan University and she moved to South Bend in 1982. She joined the South Bend Cubs in 2010 and says her summer family was there for her when she lost her husband.

“When life was hard I was widowed for a number of years this family kept me going. I would look forward to coming out and seeing my friends that are in the stands and seeing my coworkers,” Nadolny said.

She remarried over a year ago to Steve Nadolny and their shared passion for baseball helped them discover their love for one another.

“I met Steve in our 20s. Baseball has always been a part of his life and when we reconnected we did some baseball trips and that’s how we realized there was more than a friend there that we wanted something more serious,” Nadolny said.

When Nadolny first started the team was the South Bend Silverhawks. The team was sold to a new ownership in 2011 and became an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs after it had previously been with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Nadolny notice an improvement in the organization with the change.

“When we became Cubs affiliates it was natural because we have Cubs fans and we do rehabs for the Cubs players. That brings people in,” Nadolny said. “This year I see more Chicago fans coming here because of the price of the ticket and they really enjoy seeing the prospects for the Cubs.”

She has two sons in Kenny and David as David has a wife named Cassie.

After 16 years, the people at the South Bend Cubs is enough incentive to keep coming back.

“I really do have some good friends that I have made over the years. When you go to work and you do something you love it’s never work,” Nadolny said. “When I’ve had a bad day and I need to go to the front office and blow off some steam they allow me to and then I go right back out and everything is OK.”