Last weekend, March 19, 2021, the Faith Lutheran varsity softball team went to St. George to play in a friendlies tournament. A friendlies tournament is when multiple teams come together to compete for fun, and there is no bracket play included. During this special tournament, the team of girls won all games except one. 

Not only did they play well, but they also had a lot of bonding time and became like family. “I think our team bonded very well this weekend. We went from not really knowing each other or (knowing) anything about each other to being each other’s best friends,” said Hannah Propst. The team was able to bond by playing a card game called “SkipBo” with the head coach. 

They also shared a condo with many bunk beds, which led to everyone becoming more comfortable with each other.  Coach McDaniel agrees that the team bonded well. She added, “Softball aside, being able to hang out together and get to know one another really helped the team bond! And we’ve certainly had the time this year despite all the restrictions and regulations.”

With the COVID regulations in place, the hope for the softball team’s season is very high. The head coach, John Chilman believes that it will be a great season, even with the major changes in NIAA. Chilman said, “Every season is good in my mind because I truly coach for the love of being around the players.  It will certainly be trying for the team to work through the COVID protocols, but I believe it will not be any more restrictive than the girls are used to by being in school all year.” 

With the season about to start, each coach has individual goals for the girls on the team. To be successful in a sport, it is essential to keep goals in mind. Chilman said, “My softball goals for the season are to help the girls realize they are far more talented than they realize and to be able to help them find that talent and work to make it better.” He believes that the girls are very skilled and the coaches strive to make them better players mentally and physically. The team will work together to reach these goals and will continue to mesh into one big softball family.