Every Thursday during their season, the varsity softball team came together and participated in team meetings and team dinners. The bonding time helped relieve the team of stress the sport gave them and build friendships with the teammates around them. Together, the team believes the bonding time helps them perform better on the field.
“It’s something we always look forward to every week,” Junior Savannah Stech said. “We’re always working really hard and we just want some time to relax and hang out with each other.”
The idea for team dinners started in 2008 when the team ate out at Chili’s after practice one day. Since then, it became a tradition for the team. Head Coach Michelle Mayfield takes pride in her team planning the events on their own time and believes the team dinners build team chemistry essential to winning in a tough 5A district.
“Team chemistry is one of the most important parts of a team becoming successful,” Mayfield said. “The more these kids get to know each other and learn about each other, then the more they’ll learn to respect each other and come together as a team.”
On bonding nights, the team either goes out to eat, or one of the players will invite everyone over and have dinner at their house. The girls work together in preparing the food and drinks. The forms of entertainment at the team dinners ranged from simple conversing with each other, to singing karaoke and participating in games like putt-putt and “Just Dance.”
“The team dinners bring us closer,” senior Kat Henz. “We act like we’re sisters around each other.”
Last year the team qualified as regional finalists and went undefeated in district. The players believe the team dinners played a large part in their run last year. In addition to the sport of softball, the players formed unbreakable friendships with each other outside of practice. Stech met senior Rebecca Scarbrough on the softball team, and through the sport and team bonding Scarbrough became her best friend.
“We have our own connection,” Stech said. “We both love softball and no matter what we always try to have fun.”
