The Stampede

Running rituals: What starts on field, finishes in dugouts

Friday, April 18, 2008 By Sara Delgado

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.”