ON SE L F- D I SCOVERY & SO F T BAL L by Elez Beresin-Scher ‘20
“Not that I’m expecting to play, but in which situation do you need to tag the person, rather than just tag the base to get them out?” This is a question that I asked a teammate on the bus to our first softball game during the spring of my freshman year. Not only was it my first softball game ever, but also my first sports game ever. Obviously, I was clueless. As in every game I would play over the next three seasons, my expectations were broken. My coach placed me in left field in the last inning. I was terrified, but lucky. The only ball that came in my direction stopped a few feet short of where I was standing, so that all I had to do was run forward, pick it up, and toss it to the shortstop. A small victory, but I still remember how proud I felt on the ride home.
This essay is dedicated to my teammates, who inspired and made me laugh every day, specifically Sofia Ohanian ‘18 and Vera Walsh-Alker ‘19, who taught me to trust myself, and my coach, Scott Reynolds, who constantly supported and believed in me – and helped me become the best athlete I could be.
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1968 Edmund Burke School Magazine
But let’s start at the beginning. Even before my first day at Burke, I was aware of the sports requirements and I dreaded them. I strongly disliked gym class and quit the swimming team after one day. I never had, and assumed I never would, consider myself an athlete. When the spring of freshman year came around, I was encouraged by some friends to come out for softball. I knew I would need the credit to graduate and didn’t look beyond the task at hand: getting through just one season. But to my great surprise, after one practice, I realized I had found something I liked. And that only escalated. After that first game I played, I was hooked on the sport and looked forward to it every day. Practice took my mind off of anything going on off the field; for two hours my head was clear and focused. The thought of competitive games would stress me out during the day, but once I stepped up to the plate, every worry was replaced with excitement and exhilaration. I became part of a team, like I never had before. A strong trust and love of my teammates grew easily and unexpectedly. For the first time in my life, I was giving as much effort to something as I gave to my schoolwork, if not more. And it paid off. I was starting in the outfield by my third game, and stayed there all season, occasionally playing second base or shortstop. Did I mention we were pretty good? The Burke softball team was successful before I was a part of it. They went undefeated and won the championship title the year prior, so I knew I had a lot to live up to. The upperclassman amazed and inspired me every day, and I wanted nothing more than to prove myself to them. While I made hundreds of mistakes, I also
