Jonathan Park
Thirty-three high school boys headed towards Upper Field on
25 February at 4 pm for a softball tryout. It was the day softball/baseball
fans anticipated the most.
Before the clock hit 4 pm, it was obvious how nerve-racking
this tryout was as lower campus was filled with throwers and preparers. It
wasn't an easy day for the returning varsity players as well, for Mr. Sasse
took over the coaching job for the guys' team. Tryouts started with a simple
jog around the field as warm up and, soon after, Coach Sasse proceeded to his
first judgement: throwing. It seemed very casual and easy going as we were told
to play catch with a partner—until Coach Sasse decided to join in and play
catch with us.
The most basic and fundamental part of the game, throwing and
catching, couldn't have been more frightening, as Josh Park said, “I have never
been more scared in my life.” It felt as if the seams didn't exist on the
softballs as the combination of sweaty palms and the must-impress mentality
didn't favor the best results. Although it was inevitable that errors were to
be committed, throwing and catching mistakes occurred much more than one
expected. Softballs were all over the place, like shooting stars in broad daylight,
flying behind the bushes and flying down the slope. A suppose-to-be calm and
relaxing warm up of playing catch turned into a rather harsh conditioning
session.
The second part of tryouts was fielding, which required
athleticism, concentration, mental awareness, and anticipation. Due to the
extreme heat wave that has engulfed Penang Island over the past month, balls
were rolling and bouncing in unpredictable directions on the Savannah-like
terrain. Although fielding was the last opportunity to redeem oneself, the
topography did not make it easy.
Tryouts ended with words of encouragement and hope for Coach
Sasse leaving the players with anticipation of positive results.
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