The Frederick High Varsity Softball team walked its state send-off down the sports corridor on Friday morning, October 20, before heading to Aurora for the annual CHSSA State Tournament. The team has been training hard for this very time of the year. When they get off the bus and walk outside into the cool, crisp air, they see a lot of people. There are sixteen teams in the complex, and there is music and excitement all around them as they approach their field. Knowing that you made it to not just the last 16 but also the final four out of 64 teams is one of the nicest emotions in the world. The energy and passion of the game permeated every area, and the one thing missing from Frederick High School was spirit.
“I think there should be a rowdy crowd at softball, but the student body chooses to do different things. I love going to watch the softball team play and I’m there as much as I can to support it. They have been the most consistent program within our school for a long duration of time and they deserve that credit.” Frederick Athletic Director Ty Gordon states.
Looking around during State, you see the other student sections are crammed into the stands, but Frederick softball didn’t have a section to begin with. Despite having a stellar winning record, the softball team is baffled as to why they aren’t given the proper student section and why Frederick students will attend other sporting events despite their records of losing. Frederick is present whether they win or lose, so doesn’t it apply to softball as well?
They can attest that softball doesn’t get the same recognition as other sports after speaking with a few of the players. Junior Payton Torres, a pitcher, states, “No, I wouldn’t say softball gets very much recognition. We have the smallest crowds at our games and the least amount of support from our peers. I’m not sure why people don’t feel the need to support softball, like they would fall upon other sports like football or volleyball. But we put in the same if not more work than every other sport and we show that on the field, and we deserve to be recognized for that. Big sports like football, win or lose, the whole school is there to cheer them on and I think softball would like to see that same support, especially when we are the ones that have the winning record!”
However, for the guys’ varsity basketball team at Frederick High School, this was not the case. Their setups paled in comparison to what softball players go through. The basketball team has advanced and worked hard in prior years, reaching the final four twice in a row, to win the state championship. The basketball team was showered with Frederick spirit, including posters, a fantastic send-off before entering state, and most significantly, a boisterous audience of excited classmates. Not to mention, the majority of students traveled all the way to Denver to support the basketball team at state during that time, rather than attending their regular classes. But this is the same deal, right? Not quite; in fact, softball had no support from peers or classmates after qualifying for the state tournament within the past four years and making the final four back to back. While there weren’t many people present for the send-off, you could count on one hand the number of people that came to the State Tournament to cheer on the girls—note that there wasn’t even a rowdy crowd in the stands. The Frederick spirit was displayed by the parents.
Frederick Athletic Director Ty Gordon adds, “As far as why do kids leave school early to go watch basketball and not come watch softball, that’s a great question for the kids to answer. I don’t know, those are choices that they make, I wish there would be more support down there for softball, again because I know they are our most consistent team. Similarly to baseball, there aren’t a lot of people at baseball games or soccer games and there is nobody at golf tournaments or tennis, it’s a global issue amongst everybody.”
Senior Tatum Ross, third baseman states, “Softball does not get the recognition it deserves. We made it to the State Tournament for the past four years and it’s not talked about or cared about, we also don’t get the same amount of money and support the other sports get. This needs to be changed, we need more support towards our softball players and the work we put in to get where we are.”
Is it because it’s a female team rather than a male team? Is it because the sport is played outside? Is it the case that the sport is overly intricate? The Frederick student body is the answer; without it, sports spirit and pride would not exist. Pitcher Junior Payton Torres quotes, “I think the support for sports like softball should change in the future. We put in a lot of work to come out on top and to represent our school. So it’s only right for our school to support us in return, to cheer us on and show our school spirit!
