Trying a new sport

Experiential From kicker to hitter

Zoe Macknicki

Reporter

Ihaven’t tried that many sports in my life; I have only ever played soccer, run track and run cross country.

Trying a new sport seemed like a fun and interesting idea, so I decided to try softball for a week.

The Arcata High School softball team was willing to have me join them at their practices, so I could learn the basics of softball.

On day one, I walked into the locker rooms with junior Morgan Ford, who had loaned me everything I needed for a week of softball.

I wasn’t really sure how to feel. I walked in and began to get ready and no one really questioned if I was on the team or not.

When Ford introduced me to everyone in the locker room, they were very friendly.

I felt as though I had walked into an inclusive and positive environment.

I went out to practice and began to follow along with everyone. Everyone talked and laughed as we warmed up.

As soon as it was time to practice, everyone was ready to go and work hard.

Steve Sarchett, the coach of the AHS softball team, began to help everyone to make sure that they were doing the best they possibly could.

He consistently gave pointers on how each player could improve. Sarchett had an uplifting attitude and always made sure to push the girls to the best of their abilities.

He wanted to make sure everyone was improving day to day even if that was just a small improvement.

After day one, I felt like I had a lot to learn but I was looking forward to what was to come.

On the second day, Wednesday, March 16, I found out from Ford that we were going to be working on hitting. I was excited to learn a new skill. However, I was hoping that I wouldn’t kill anyone with the bat or let go of it when I hit the ball.

Fortunately, that didn’t happen. I learned that hitting the ball has a lot of mechanics to it, and it isn’t as easy as it seems. Once you figure it out all it takes is more practice.

I watched many of the other athletes practice, and I got to learn more by just watching them. Juniors Taylor Appy and Sagen Sarchett especially caught my attention.

They looked very fluid in their motions. One player, Corrina Cunningham, always made practice fun by making jokes constantly.

She kept everyone up beat and still made sure to work hard. All the girls were very encouraging and helped me get better.

On the third day, I practiced more hitting and observed their practice.

On Thursday, Cal Poly Humboldt head softball coach, Shelli Sarchett, came out to pitch for the team. This was a great opportunity for Arcata High’s softball team to work with a college coach.

I watched people work on both offense and defense and work on game plays.

On the fourth and final day, I felt very included. I really felt a part of the team, not just someone who was a guest.

I began to get to know some of the girls, and I felt like I became more connected with both the players and the coach.

We did a few different drills and then we worked on game situations with people running the bases.

I got to run the bases which was really fun. I had seen a lot of the girls working really hard

I felt as though I had walked into an inclusive and positive environment.

- Zoe Macknicki

and improving all week.

After participating in practice for four days, I learned many new things and got to hang out with many new people.

Arcata High has a very young softball team, and they continue to impress as they begin to practice.

The environment was overall very positive and it kept everyone excited and ready to learn.

Some of my favorite parts were getting to meet all the girls on the team.

Having them there made practice more enjoyable. I am hoping to continue to watch the softball team grow by attending more of their games.

Overall, this was a great experience. I would recommend that people try softball, the environment is positive and makes you want to work hard while having fun.

I can’t wait to see what the AHS softball team has in store for them this season.