If there is one team at Ohio that truly does play its sport, it's the softball team.
During games and during practice, teammates are cracking jokes with each other and dancing to the songs coming from the speakers at the Ohio softball field.
Coach Jill Matyuch said it is all about finding the balance between fun and focus, and her team has found it.
We definitely have a sense of humor about us
Matyuch said. If you're tense in this game you're not going to be successful bottom line. But again
you have to be focused enough to be competitive.
Alicia Catlette, Amanda Sacks and Courtney Waters ' whom Matyuch calls The Triplets ' all live together and said they like to get the team joking around while working hard, especially the newcomers.
I know my first game I was so tense to make an error
but it happens. You have to just play
Waters said. You have to relax.
Sacks said the ability to joke keeps players from dwelling on mistakes.
Being able to joke about errors and maybe the mental mishaps we have is a strength of our team
because it helps us get over those little things quicker
Sacks said.
Catlette, Sacks and Waters said they have all seen the teams that don't look like they are having fun and agreed that they would never want to be a part of that. Almost every team member has a personalized cheer from the dugout when she goes to bat alongside the vast array of songs played before a hitter's at-bat.
First-year assistant coach Jenna Hall said that the personality of the team is something she quickly recognized.
They laugh
they have a good time
they joke around
Hall said. Overall
