FACULTY SOFTBALL
Another chance at batBY JUSTYN DE QUEIROZ ON OCTOBER 18, 2013
“PLAY BALL,” are words that a few of our faculty have the chance to hear again. With a faculty softball team, teachers have a chance to get active, play the game they love and socialize with other faculty members.
“Its giving me an opportunity to be young again,” right fielder Uvonda Willis said Last spring Pitt County Schools decided to start a faculty softball league. Willis was talking to former principal Charlie Langley one day, as they were talking she wished for a softball team and Langley informed her that he had received an email about starting a Rose softball team that same day. Willis was an athlete in high school and so she jumped on the opportunity to play for the Rose faculty team called Scared Hitless. The purpose of getting a team together was mainly to focus on faculty bonding. During the day, a lot of the faculty and staff do not have a chance to meet and get to know one another. They created this league so the faculty and staff of each school can become more united. “I did this so I can hang out and see some of the faculty members that I normally do not get to see around the building,” third baseman Russell Knight said. “The best part is the social aspect and meeting some of the other teachers.” Some teachers, like Randall Leach, have not played softball before but were recruited to play. “I was recruited to play and I don't play softball,” Leach said, “but I get out there and do my part.” This year, Scared Hitless has one win so far where they destroyed their opponents 16-1. The only other high school team that they play is South Central, otherwise known as the Dirty Birds, and the rest of the league is middle and elementary schools. According to everyone on the team, South Central is the biggest rival because it’s the only high school team. “Stokes and Pactolus Elementary is supposed to be good,” first baseman Lauren Wells said. “The only team we lost to last year was Fockler so they are also a team to look out for.” Overall, our faculty needs a chance to be active. They are so busy with discipline and teaching and grading that they need a time to just have some fun for themselves. “ We have so much fun,” Willis said. “We laugh and joke, its wonderful.” Some of the faculty joined the team for the love of the game. They played when they were younger and wanted to get back into doing something active. “I have always like playing baseball and softball,” Knight said. “I figured it would be a chance to get a bit more active and do something that I don’t normally do.” Their love and passion for the game can intensify the games. Last season Knight and Willis were going for a fly ball, when all of a sudden they ran straight into each other. Willis was down but Knight was not. “I kept asking her if she was okay and all she would ask me was if I caught the ball,” Knight said. “I told her yes but kept asking if she was okay.” Willis only suffered some minor injuries after going to the hospital. But she is not the only one that has had some injuries. Last season, Liza Knight was heading to first base after hitting the ball in the infield and was hit in the head with the ball. She received no concussion but had a headache and a bump for a while. On the double header game that Scared Hitless had early in the season, Shonika Brickhouse was running for home base to get a run for the Scared Hitless and broke her hip on the way. Nothing she did was what caused it, she was just running and broke her hip. The ambulance quickly rushed her to the emergency room and Brickhouse had surgery on her hip two days after. She is doing well and on the road to a healthy recovery. It is all fun and games for these re-born athletes even with the intensity and heart they put into the games. They play on the team because they love the sport and they love meeting each other and growing their relationship as co-workers and friends. HTML Comment Box is loading comments...
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