Bell Ringing

What do you think about when you hear bells ringing during the Holiday season? This winter we had the privilege of ringing bells for the Salvation Army outside Big Lots in Mattoon, IL. We had quite the experience! Ringing bells from 6 to 9 PM could get kind of lonely if you’re doing it by yourself. Fortunately, we got to pick partners to ring with. Having the personalities we do, we both decided to enjoy the time spent together. We figured out how to ring the bells to the Jingle Bells tune. We both did have a pretty good time ringing the bells, even though it was chilly outside. We really got in the mood for a while and perfected the Jingle Bells song with our bells, and had a little dance that went along with it. It wasn’t anything extravagant, but it was very interesting and helped to pass the time a little bit.

As customer got out of their cars, we asked them if they would guess our song after they were done shopping. Quite a few of them agreed, and the majority guessed correctly and donated their change. Being the outgoing people we both are, we had some kind of conversation with everyone that walked through the Big Lots’ doors, whether it be a “Hi, Happy Holidays” or a ten minute conversation while a lady took out all of the change in the bottom of her purse. Doing this has given me a greater appreciation for what I have and what I have been given.

Many times you walk by a person ringing bells and think that you will maybe give a cent or two whenever you leave the store. Well, after ringing the bells and standing out in the cold to do just that, we both have more respect for the people who do this on a regular basis and not just one time in their lives. Hopefully, next time I walk by a bell ringer, I will decide to give more than just a couple cents to people who have a whole lot less than us.

Kristin and Tori

The Freshman Transition

Every athlete dreams of playing sports at the highest possible level. Defined in the dictionary, a dream is a succession of images, thoughts, or emotions passing through the mind during sleep. A dream can also be defined as an aspiration or goal. The “dream” that most athletes wish to live is candy coated, let’s be honest. Athletes do not dream of waking up for occasional early morning work outs, nor do they dream about the hundreds of sprints they end up running over the course of their season. They dream of being the best. Athletes dream about being the “top dog”. Well in high school, life is good. Many college athletes were the top dog on their high school team. If you hold even the smallest amount of athleticism and understand the game, then any high school team will put you on the roster. Things change when you get to college. Signing your letter of intent is a relief, but a relief to what? College athletics is not the Candy Land world high school was. The “top dog” in college becomes every one of your teammates. The coach from high school that would baby you because they feared you might quit the team if you didn’t get your way does not exist. There are a variety of players to pick from in college if things do not go your way. The “freshman transition” has some obstacles. Two words every incoming freshman dreads: freshman stress. College is a completely new environment. You leave friends you knew since diapers, you leave your family, and you leave everything that was comfortable to you. That’s tough to do anyways, let alone adding the pressure of playing a sport. It’s natural. There is no stopping it. How we deal with the obstacles defines our mental toughness in a way. Michael Jordan’s story is backwards, yet it clearly shows how you must work through adversity to attain your goal. Michael was cut from his high school basketball team. He was determined to play, so he earned a spot the following years and ended up playing for North Carolina, a NCAA basketball powerhouse. Through his hard work and dedication he went on to become the “top dog” in the N.B.A. for some time. A quote from Michael that can sum up his experience is as follows, “If you’re trying to achieve, there will be road blocks. I’ve had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” Things do not get handed to you as a college athlete. You must earn what you achieve. You will have to climb brick walls on and off the court/field. Don’t get me wrong, the freshman transition has a lot of good to go along with it. The candy coated part of the freshman transition is the new friends that you meet and the privileges you have as an athlete. You meet people that become friends like the one’s you had growing up. You will probably meet an unbelievable friend who, believe it or not, will probably be in your wedding one day. The experiences that go along with college will be with you for the rest of your life-good and bad. But the bad will eventually be forgotten and the good will be remembered. What is my advice to a college freshman? Take in all of the moments that pass by, good and bad, and let them make you a better person.

- Katie "Stones" Reiff

Featured Player - Maria Dust #24

PERSONAL INFO:

Born: January 6, 1990 at St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital, Effingham, IL

Age started playing softball: I started playing ball at 3 and organized softball in first grade.

High School: Teutopolis High School

Desired major in college: Pre-Engineering (Civil Engineering)

Siblings: 2, Lora -18 and Holly - 13

Nicknames: Yo, Maria

Pets: -A dog (Odie); 3 horses (Flash, Pepper, and Duke); tons of cats (they really don’t have any names)

PERSONALITY:

Dream job: becoming a civil engineer and working for the state

Personality off the field: energetic

Personality on the field: aggresive

Who do you admire? • As an athlete? David Eckstein •As a softball player? My dad •As a person? Grandpa Dust

Who are the people that have helped you? •In Life? My parents and my family •In fastpitch? Previous coaches and especially my dad

What is the best advice you have ever been given? •In Life? Don’t compare yourself and what is happening to your life to other people’s lives. You don’t know what they are going through. •In fastpitch? Softball is a game of failure. Strive to be the best and succeed and you will succeed in life as well.

What advice would you give to a young player just getting started in the sport? -Always go hard. The one thing you can control is how hard you play the game.

Are you superstitious? Yes -I have a special place I have to stand in the dugout for all the games, and I freak out on anyone that stands in my spot. Also, I always have to ‘knock on wood’ if something hasn’t happened to me when someone says something that could be bad.

If you were a shoe, what kind would you be? -In my previous years I was a Wooden Shoe, but now I guess some kind of shocks.

FAVORITES:

Color: Orange Animal: Dog Dream car: A 1965 or 1966 Ford Mustang

Hobbies: Horse riding, golfing, softball, hanging with friends and family, hunting, and four-wheeler riding Food:Chicken parmesan Vegetable: Home-grown corn on the cob

Fruit: Oranges Candy: Butterfingers Restaurant: Ruby Tuesdays

Music: Country and some soft rock Cartoon character: Stewy Griffin (“Family Guy”) Superhero: Batman. A lot of people can identify with him. He could be anyone, and he has no real superhero powers.

Luxury item: my mp3 player TV Show: One Tree Hill Movie: “The Proposal”

MLB team: St. Louis Cardinals NFL team: St. Louis Rams

What do you splurge on? -Christmas gifts What are you passionate about? -sports

FASTPITCH:

What are you looking forward to the most during your 2010 season with Lake Land? -Having a good time playing softball and getting to know my teammates

What do you feel is your biggest accomplishment to date? -Getting a scholarship to play softball at Lake Land to help pay for college

What is your favorite position to play? -Third base

What exercise gives you the best results in achieving your fitness goals? -ab crunches and using the weighted ball

What do you like to do on a day-off? -Relax with family and friends and visit my grandparents

Tell us something that most people might not know about you? -I love to golf. I almost went to college on a scholarship for golf instead of softball.

The Turkey Game

Although this article was written by both Kristin and Nicole, there may be some parts where you will be able to tell who wrote what. The Turkey Game was a really big hit. Everyone had a great time even though the stakes were high. To start out, the biggest battle seemed to be if we would even get the game in. Weather did not seem to cooperate so the game was postponed and finished a week later. Another battle was whether we would have enough players. On the team, there are 2 or 3 athletes who were hurt. Some of the teammates from last year were brought back onto the field. However, once started the game was a blast.

First off, the teams were picked. Kristin’s team included herself, Sarah Wendt, Nikki Ramsey, Aubrey Frank, Geri Whitman, Maria Dust, Bri Athey, Kristen Winkler, and Amber Hane.

Nicole’s team included herself, Danielle Finke, Mallory Bremer, Tori Purcell, Jenn Murray, Katie Rieff, Kaitlyn Teager, Kolo Carey, and Jackie Trombi.

From here is when it really started. Kristin’s team did the smack talk. It is very easy to see the desire to win and the level of competition that the team was playing at. At some points, the team was split because of who was on what turkey game team. The day of the game, the smack talk was high and you could feel the tension in the air.

When started, it was very serious. Kristin’s team took an early lead 2-0. Nicole’s team was held scoreless up until the 3^rd inning when they scored a run. The score was 2-1 with one out in the top of the 4^th inning. It had been raining off and on during the game, but a downpour came so Coach Nelson called off the game. We decided to finish the game during the next week.

This time the games got a little crazy. We were allowed to wear whatever we wanted and the teams definitely capitalized on this. Kristin’s team did not really match besides their black shirts and pants. They wore bright colored socks and headbands. However, Nicole’s team matched very well with bright neon striped socks and white shirts. The teams decided to throw out the stakes and have fun. We decided to all cook one entre and bring it to the dinner. Everyone was going to play a new position and bat with their opposite hand. Nicole decided to pitch, but was taken out after the 2^nd batter by Tori. For Kristin’s team, Bri started out pitching and was also taken out after the 2^nd batter and replaced by our newest pitcher Nikki. She did so well Coach decided to put her in the bullpen. When the changes happened, batters returned regular. The final score was Kristin’s team winning 6-2. We all had a great time playing.

Now came the meal. Surprisingly everyone did an awesome job. There was some great food brought. Coaches got lenient and let us have dessert and soda! There were plenty of desserts to go around, including pie and rice krispie treats. There was turkey, potatoes, salad, macaroni and cheese, broccoli rice and green bean casseroles, and even Hawaiian beans. Nobody left hungry. The Turkey Game was a great idea that really brought the team together.

- Kristin Runde #3 & Nicole Runde #8

Featured Player - Brianna Kalyn Athey #32

PERSONAL INFO:

Born: Nov. 9 1989 in Terre Haute, IN.

Started playing softball: 6

High school: Casey-Westfield

Desired major in college: Nursing

Siblings: Two brothers

Nicknames: Bri

PERSONALITY:

Dream job: Nurse

Personality off the field: Outgoing

Personality on the field: Energetic

Who do you admire?• As an athlete? Albert P. •As a softball player? Jenny Finch• As a person? My parents

Who are the people that have helped you?• In Life? My family and friends • In fastpitch? My dad and coaches

What is the best advice you have ever been given? • In Life? Live like you are dying • In fastpitch? Be Here Now

What advice would you give to a young player just getting started in the sport?Love the Challenge

If you were a shoe, what kind would you be? Nike Shox

Pets: Shih Tzu: Emmitt Diddo Athey, Boxers: To many to name (we breed them)

Hobbies: Church, Other sports, and relaxing jogs

What are you passionate about? Life, you never know when it will end

FASTPITCH/TRAINING:

What are you looking forward to the most during your 2010 season with Lake Land? Working toward making it to Nationals and Winning It!

What do you feel is your biggest accomplishment to date? “shutting people up!” No better feeling than proving others wrong about your abilities.

What is your favorite position to play? Any! Give me the ball and watch what I do with it

What exercise gives you the best results in achieving your fitness goals?Jogging and abs

FAVORITES:

Color: Pink! Animal: White Tiger Food: Pickles Vegetable: Peas

Fruit: Pineapple Candy: Resses Restaurant: Road House

Music: Country, Hip Hop, Pop, R&B Superhero: Spiderman

TV Show: Gilmore Girls Movie: Definitely Maybe MLB team: CUBS!!!

Tell us something that most people might not know about you? I can be quiet! And although I am very intense I having a very caring side about me.