The pitcher releases the ball and it’s flying straight towards you at what seems to be 200 miles an hour. All of a sudden, your surroundings, the cheering, the field and the pitcher, become blocked out-it’s just you and the ball. You smack it as hard as you can and hear a loud ‘whack’. Your teammates are screaming “run!” while squealing with excitement, and you sprint to first base. It doesn’t matter if you hit the ball two feet in front of you or to the field in the next town, because your team will react similarly; by giving you an endless amount of support and excitement. The feeling of contributing to, and being supported by, a team is reason enough to sign up for a school sport, such as softball.

While softball may not be the sport that SHS is best known for, the enthusiasm and close-knit relationships are hard to beat. “It’s some of the most fun I’ve had in a while and after just a couple of weeks, I’m already so close with the girls on the team,” remarked Danielle Eforo ’21, a member of the JV team. The JV Coach, Kiera Fox, is always trying to help the players perform to the best of their abilities, while providing all the necessary support to teach the beginners the basics of the game. “It’s not very hard to learn and [Coach] Kiera is honestly such a good coach and cares about each individual and really knows how to coach us so that practice is something you can look forward to and enjoy,” said Eforo. Setting personal goals and working hard towards achieving them on the field is a rewarding part of softball.

With the first games around the corner, it’s not too late to join the JV team. There are currently fourteen members on the team and while the majority are freshmen, there are also sophomores and juniors, all beaming with enthusiasm and a sense of camaraderie. JV is five days a week, including practice and games. Seventeen games are scheduled for the season, which runs until around the third week of May. If you are interested in joining, there is no experience needed, as long as you have a good mindset and are willing to try your best. “As the coach, I look forward to seeing each player grow and succeed in their own way. Each player should have a personal goal that they want to accomplish. I’m hoping to assist in achieving that goal. I also look forward to helping foster a team bond,” said Coach Fox. If this doesn’t motivate you enough, consider the laughs, the friendships, the sense of community, and most importantly, getting that “summer bod.” Not to mention the satisfaction of getting all your aggression out as you picture the ball being the math test you had last period, where everyone else got the answer “73,” and you got “George Washington.”

All jokes aside, like anything in life, a large factor that contributes to your experience is your attitude and how you handle the failure, successes, and everything in between. “From the heart, softball is a failure sport! Three out of ten is an amazing statistic. When you do succeed in softball, you feel very accomplished. You feel like you truly earned it. When you get that solid hit or make the great catch, it’s like no other feeling!” emphasized Coach Fox. Hope to see you on the field!

*For more information on how to join the JV team, please don’t hesitate to message me on facebook, @ Leah Breakstone