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Sports are something that many people look forward to playing, but life doesn’t always go as planned for many. This spring season of sports has been taken away just like that for everyone due to this pandemic we are facing. Many people have very different opinions based on what has impacted them personally. There are people with similar ideas, but there is always that one thing that impacts them personally.
Softball is one spring sport that is being completely missed. The softball team is like no other; we are so connected to each other that we are basically a family. There is not one thing that we do without each other during the season. Even though some practices could be very hard on us, we always still find a way to have fun. Every practice after-school was a reason to go to school even if we didn’t feel like going. With all the love and fun we all have, we started to notice how that impacts the overall performance of a team. Since we are all positive, so were the results of our games. Last year was a huge example of that. For most of us, not having this year of softball made us all really upset that we could not see each other all the time.
After asking a few softball players, their opinions have an overall emotion of sadness but have that one thing that impacts them personally.
Sophomore Meghan Fissore talks about how she misses playing the game. Her thoughts about this whole situation are “It’s been pretty much the same. I’m going to miss playing with the seniors so much. I’m just mad because we all worked so hard and we didn’t get a chance to show it.” With not having a season, this doesn’t mean she stops the work: “I’ve been continuing to do work, not as much as I normally would have, but I’ve been doing work.”
To add on to what Meghan said, Junior Leah Logan also gives her opinion about the season being canceled. She states “I think that at the beginning of this, I was more hopeful that we would have a season eventually, but now I am more accepting of the situation.” Leah is also someone who is not giving up on practicing. She knows that everyone will be back better next year, making her need to be the same also. She states “During this quarantine, I am definitely preparing myself better for the next time we get to play.”
With all the returning players, many wonder what the crowds at their games will look like. One article brings up a point about having the games be recorded and be available to listen. Since people believe the normal won’t be back until a few years from now, this leaves social distancing rules still in place. This affects all the spring sports crowds and having to find ways for people to watch the game.
Meghan’s thoughts about this are very similar. She says “I think they’ll probably be a lot fewer people at games and maybe people will live stream the game.” This is one of the common ideas that is being thrown around. Leah talks about how the girls will come back ready to play. Leah says “I feel as if everyone is going to be in better shape and more prepared for next season. Overall, everyone’s going to be more excited for the season.”
Not only are the 9-11 graders sad about not playing, but the seniors lost their final season playing softball. Most of, if not all, seniors are very upset about graduation and prom being canceled. To add on, all spring sports players have something else to add on. This affects them even more since most won’t be playing after high school.
Domi Raught talks about what she will miss about softball, but also a little about high school and college. She states “Every day I wake up and I seriously wish I could go to school and softball. Senior year is all about making memories with your best friends from high school before we all go our separate ways and it really sucks that we don’t get to do that. Softball has been what I’ve loved the most since I was 7 and it’s so disappointing to have it just taken away like this. I am really excited for college, but I wish I could be wrapping up high school the way I always imagined it.” Domi is very upset about her senior year because she will not be playing softball in college: “I am devastated about our season being taken away, but I realized how much three seasons on varsity have meant to me and I truly don’t think that any new softball memories could ever beat that. I’ve also had to say goodbye to softball three times now: ending the best season of my life when we won the WPIAL, ending my travel ball experience, and now completely ending my softball career. I really would not want to say goodbye to another part of softball. I love the sport but I’m ready to be a normal student in college.”
Our other senior, Natalie Marshall, is also very upset about not playing her senior year of high school. “Although this is not at all how I planned to be spending the last quarter of my senior year, I have been able to make the most out of it and begin planning for the start of my college journey in the fall.” Natalie has adjusted to what is going on, but that doesn’t mean she is upset about it. Her thoughts about playing in college did change because of what happened to her senior season. She states “Not being able to play my last season of softball never has changed my view on college sports and what the future could look like for me. Although I’m going to a D1 school and probably couldn’t play for the school, I’m really considering playing club softball because I didn’t get the finish I was looking for.”
Both seniors wanted to give some advice to the players next year. One thing they both talk about is how each player should never take any game for granted because you never know when the last one will be. This is something most seniors are saying to everyone because this is something we never know anymore.
Domi’s advice she wants every softball player to know is “I just hope everyone, especially freshman and sophomores, realizes that being part of the softball team is an amazing experience even if it isn’t during a winning season. The younger players have gotten to be on a winning team for one or two years now and that’s actually very rare. I just hope the girls don’t take this sport for granted and enjoy their last few years playing no matter what.” To add on, Natalie’s advice for every player is “First of all, I want to say that through all of this I have learned to never take those moments on the field and with your team for granted. You never know when you’ll play your last inning. Stay close, work hard, and most importantly have fun!”
