Softball more than just a game for Bellarmine senior
Paige Wills
Issue date: 2/3/10 Section: Sports
By Paige Wills
"We don't wear no mini-skirts. All we wear is softball shirts. We don't drink no lemonade. We just drink our Gatorade. We don't play with Barbie dolls. We just play with bats and balls." Although this chant is not always accurate, it does sum up quite well the lives of many young softball players.
Senior softball player Emma Raver remembers these cheers all too well. Although it was the "cool" thing to do in little league, it is no longer "cool" in college according to Raver. She said, "I hate annoying team cheers. I prefer to yell instead of chant and sing."
Raver's softball career began 10 years ago right here in Louisville. She graduated from Notre Dame Academy and according to head softball coach Renee Hicks, has been the starting right fielder at Bellarmine for the past three years.
However, Raver said, "In high school, softball had taken a backseat to volleyball. By the end of junior year, I began to get burnt out on volleyball and turned my collegiate aspects towards softball."
Walking up to the plate for the first time can be intimidating, especially for a 7-year-old. Raver remembers this day quite well. "I was in second grade playing machine pitch in Louisville. I had broken my elbow in a non-softball related accident and my arm was in a cast. I went up, batted and hit a triple," she said.
Raver has managed to avoid major injuries during her 10 plus years of playing softball. In high school, she separated her shoulder diving for the ball. However, other than that, she has been relatively lucky and only incurred a lot of "wear-and-tear."
Raver has high hopes for the upcoming season. She said her ideal goal would be to win the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament and continue to play well through the post-season. Hicks said, "Emma is a very hard worker and wants to get better everyday at practice."
Raver has not only been a leader on the softball field, but in the academic field as well. According to Hicks, Raver carries a 3.8 GPA and she was an Academic All-American in 2008 and 2009. She hopes to qualify again this coming season. Raver will graduate in May with a major in Biology and minor in Chemistry.
"We don't wear no mini-skirts. All we wear is softball shirts. We don't drink no lemonade. We just drink our Gatorade. We don't play with Barbie dolls. We just play with bats and balls." Although this chant is not always accurate, it does sum up quite well the lives of many young softball players.
Senior softball player Emma Raver remembers these cheers all too well. Although it was the "cool" thing to do in little league, it is no longer "cool" in college according to Raver. She said, "I hate annoying team cheers. I prefer to yell instead of chant and sing."
Raver's softball career began 10 years ago right here in Louisville. She graduated from Notre Dame Academy and according to head softball coach Renee Hicks, has been the starting right fielder at Bellarmine for the past three years.
However, Raver said, "In high school, softball had taken a backseat to volleyball. By the end of junior year, I began to get burnt out on volleyball and turned my collegiate aspects towards softball."
Walking up to the plate for the first time can be intimidating, especially for a 7-year-old. Raver remembers this day quite well. "I was in second grade playing machine pitch in Louisville. I had broken my elbow in a non-softball related accident and my arm was in a cast. I went up, batted and hit a triple," she said.
Raver has managed to avoid major injuries during her 10 plus years of playing softball. In high school, she separated her shoulder diving for the ball. However, other than that, she has been relatively lucky and only incurred a lot of "wear-and-tear."
Raver has high hopes for the upcoming season. She said her ideal goal would be to win the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament and continue to play well through the post-season. Hicks said, "Emma is a very hard worker and wants to get better everyday at practice."
Raver has not only been a leader on the softball field, but in the academic field as well. According to Hicks, Raver carries a 3.8 GPA and she was an Academic All-American in 2008 and 2009. She hopes to qualify again this coming season. Raver will graduate in May with a major in Biology and minor in Chemistry.
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