By MADISON JASIULEVICIUS – Sports Editor
“Come on, you can do it!”
The bases are bare and the scoreboard shows a score of zero for the home team, Clarke Central High School. With the next out, the fourth inning is over; the National Federation of High School Sports softball “mercy rule” will be enacted, allowing the team ahead by ten runs to end the game at the fourth quarter.
“You can do it. Come on, girls!”
Lean arms pierce the air– a robotic gesture practiced for weeks. Surprise at getting a hit almost halts the batter’s steps before she hustles towards first base. It’s a pop fly — an easy catch for the Cedar Shoals High School outfielders. Strike out and game.
Another loss for the CCHS girls fast-pitch softball team– the final score 13-2.
For the last three consecutive years the team has followed a simple routine: train hard during the summer, keep up a good spirit at practice and lose every game of their season. Despite three years of losses, the team has brought on multiple newcomers to the sport with every season.
“We are just working to get better,” CCHS head softball coach Susan Chamberlin said. “Even though they haven’t won, they’ve all hung together and taken care of each other. It’s been a real positive thing.”
Batting averages and team records are not the highest priority for these athletes; their goal is overall improvement rather than perfection. During practice, Chamberlin focuses on each athlete individually, taking time to nurture their talent and to make adjustments to the players’ specific needs.
The athletes mimic this supportive leadership and find ways to lift each other up during practice as well. Each season, the team brings on many athletes that are unfamiliar to the sport. By teaching each other and pairing veteran players with rookie athletes, the girls share their knowledge while Chamberlin works on improving pre-existing talent.
During games, this community of support is also present. In the dugouts, negative comments are never heard, but rather cheers and chants of support and unity from the dugout.
“Our team loves each other,” CCHS junior Jada Haynes said. “We stick together through all the negative energy that we get from other students at our school. But we know what we are doing, we know that we are going to win one day.”
Winning is not always about bringing home the trophy or being the best. Winning is putting forth effort and never giving up. No matter the outcome, Coaches should only ask for the best of their athletes and teammates should provide a strong and consistent support system for each other.
This is true sportsmanship, and it isn’t easy to achieve. Every athlete wants to win, including the girls softball team, but their victory is improvement, change and unity.
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