I sat down with softball players Kirsten Costello '10 and Molly Khalil '12 to talk about the time commitment, batting rituals and Finding Nemo.
How long have you guys been playing softball?
KC: Since I could walk. My dad used to take milk cartons and he would put a Wiffle ball on top and hand me a bat, and he knew that I couldn't actually hit the ball, but I would still swing at it. Essentially, I've been in organized softball since I was six, but playing it since I could walk.
MK: I was four when I started, which is when I was old enough to join. I have an older brother who's musically gifted, and he was in the league already. He was struggling, so my mom decided to pitch him some batting practice in our backyard. I was sitting there, and I couldn't just sit, standing and watching. She finally told me I could give it a shot, and I got in, tapped on the plate and hit everything.
Since you've both been playing the sport since you could walk, was there ever a point where you got sick of it?
KC: As you go through the system, a lot of girls do get burned out. We just have a strong desire and love for the game. I did have a point in my life where I had to decide between dancing and softball. Both were getting competitive, and I couldn't really do both. But I'm really happy with my decision. I know I had to write a letter about what softball meant to me. Thinking about playing, I just started to cry. If it can draw that much emotion from me after basically 22 years of playing, I still must really love this game.
MK: My parents let me play a lot of sports and other activities when I was younger. Basically, I burned out of everything besides softball. That was the one thing that I always looked forward to. I was excited for softball weekends. Piano rehearsals? Those were awful.
Why Dartmouth?
KC: I was at a Nationals tournament in Georgia and the coaches saw me play. This was when texting was still legal for recruiting and only my mom had a cell phone. The coach started texting me, and I came up the next month to visit during the summer, when Dartmouth is beautiful. I fell in love with the school.
MK: I was deciding between a scholarship or no scholarship, and an Ivy League education or not. In the end, I visited quite a few schools. Looking at the schools that offered scholarships, they pick your classes, they basically pick your major and you live and breathe softball. I already live and breathe it enough here. These are my permanent clothes.
KC: That's one of the biggest things for all of us. We're deciding between a scholarship and a good education. If you have any more ambition than just playing softball, sometimes [taking the scholarship] is not the best idea. You're travelling on the road five days a week, so how could you go to class. In the end, we chose education.
What are your pre-game rituals?
MK: I go with things until I do badly in a game, and when I do badly, I change that thing. Right now, I haven't done badly with my hair in a bun. I have to keep wearing my hair in a bun with a bow and eye-black until I play poorly. One game I was doing fine when I was wearing eye-black. Then the next game, I forgot to put it on and I did horribly. Then I put the eye-black back on for the next match and everything was fine.
What about in the box? MK: When I'm batting, waiting for the next pitch, I have to step out of the box. I'll take one swing, then I'll look at my bat. Then I visualize my hit. I place one foot in the box, put my hand up, do a wag with the bat and then I'm ready to go.
KC: It's the longest ritual ever.
Molly, you're a power hitter. Where do you get all your power from?
MK: I get it from my mama, and I'm a big fan of the egg-white Billy Bob.
KC: She's a really powerful hitter. With her hitting mechanics, she just has a sweet swing. She can generate a lot of hand speed as well as lower-half power.
What makes your team unique?
KC: Our cheers. It's typical to cheer during a softball game, but other schools usually have set cheers. Our team is a little more creative. Every person down the lineup has a specific cheer. It helps keep everyone on the bench into the game.
MK: I guess one of the more notorious ones happens when the other team throws a ball. Do you remember in Finding Nemo, when the seagulls keep saying "Mine!"? The entire dugout yells "Ball! Ball! Ball!" in the same tone.
KC: Last year, in the Ivy Championships against Cornell , it rattled the other team's parents so much that when we were on defense, their parents were doing the same. That's the sign of a good cheer.
