Before a game they stretch, run and

perform basic throwing, hitting and

catching drills. They are the girls

varsity softball team and they also have a few

pre-game and in-game rituals that have been

passed down throughout the years.

“Before every game, we walk in pairs to the

back fence and jump so we can touch the top of

it,” junior Sarah Tritch said. “Then we cross our

arms, connect our pinkies with the person next

to us and spin. I call it the spin to win.”

The returning varsity players taught their

new players this tradition at the beginning of

the season to create unity within the team.

Sophomore Ashley Bush takes pride in the ritual

and enjoys the emotion she feels afterwards.

“When we walk to the fence with each other

I feel connected with the team,” Ashley said.

“It’s like I know we are really ready to play and

are brought closer together with one another.”

The team also does something during the

games to keep up their energy when they are

all in the dugout while the opposing team is

on the field.

“We say ‘for real’ a lot when we are surprised

by what we think is a bad call,” Ashley said.

“We also do different softball chants to psyche

out the other teams and motivate our players.”

For Ashley and Sarah, softball isn’t just a side

hobby that they do for school, it’s life. Ashley has

been playing for 10 years and Sarah has been

playing for 12, letting go of other activities so

she could dedicate most of her time to softball.

“In fourth grade I was actually involved in

three after-school, sports-related activities,”

Sarah said. “I ended up quitting all of them

except softball because I liked it a lot more.”

Ashley was on the JV softball team last year

and often saw the varsity players perform the

ritual. She was proud to be a part of it this

year and looks forward to teaching the future

underclassmen the same ritual.

“This whole thing was passed down to us

this year and it will continue to stay like that,”

Ashley said. “We will pass it down to the next

varsity team and they will do the same thing

even after we graduate.”