Angela Tan
On February 29th, twenty-four
girls gathered on the upper field under the hot blazing sun as Coach Edman
shouted, "girls, hustle and gather in."
March is approaching soon,
and the softball season is finally here again.
The girls stood nervously
and patiently as Coach Edman introduced himself as this year's new girls’
varsity softball coach. The mood was engulfed in extreme intensity, but it
didn't last for long when Emily Grad suddenly introduced herself as the new
"Royal Highness" softball coach.
With that, the softball
tryouts started. Twenty-four girls paired up with random partners as the two
coaches evaluated each pair's throwing and catching abilities. After some
fifteen minutes, the girls proceeded to the remaining sessions which tested for
ground balls, pop flies, batting, and fielding, respectively.
By the end of the tryouts,
the girls scattered back to Lower Field with excited and nervous hearts
awaiting for the email announcing the roster for this year's girls’ varsity
softball team.
The next day, an email was
sent out. The senior girls celebrated with joy upon the news that all ten of
the senior girls who tried out made it into the team, although Coach Grad said
that the girls' batting with the machine "totally stunk. P.U."
Softball is not a common
sport, especially in Asia. In addition, softball has never been the sport in
which people would view as “competitive,” such as basketball, volleyball, or
soccer. So, what made some of these girls want to join softball?
Annabelle Teoh (9), a new
freshman member who made it into the softball team this year, said, “I wanted
to try a new sport with different skill-related fitness components, and I
figured that softball would be a perfect sport for that.”
Furthermore, softball
indeed is a sport that emphasizes on teamwork and the bond of the members of
the team. This year’s team is a senior-laden team. Therefore, it is not
surprising that many of the seniors have targeted on getting the most out of
their last year of high school by participating in softball together, for one
more hurrah.
Amanda Goh (12), a senior
who has been in the softball team since 9th grade, replied as follows when
being asked why she wanted to join softball again this year: “I've been in
softball since 9th grade. At first in ninth grade I joined because I wanted to
get some exercise, but I found myself loving the sport. I enjoyed the memories
and friendships that I have made through softball. It is incredible to play a
sport I love with people I love. Also, softball helps me take my mind off of
stress and studies.”
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