Winter signing event pushed to spring
With having to balance school work, practices and social lives, student athletes constantly have a lot on their plates. The countless sacrifices are made worth it on signing day, celebrating with loved ones. Due to the increase in COVID-19 cases and the small number of signees, Winter signing day was forced to be canceled. However, the event has since been rescheduled and will be taking place sometime in April.
Bailey Miller, senior softball player, has committed to a college under a sports scholarship this year. Miller has been playing softball for around eight years and is excited to start a new chapter of her life at North Central College in Illinois, where she already knows a few people from her new team. “I was able to meet the coach and the coach was really nice. And they had a lot of enthusiasm for the same sport I did,” Bailey Miller said.
Arden Miller, senior, is also signing a letter of intent and committing to a college for softball. Miller will attend Frostburg State University in Maryland, where she will play as a mid and outfielder. Arden Miller explains how signing a letter of intent gives her some security for the future. “I feel like the weight is lifted off my shoulders. And then I actually realized, like, ‘Oh, I gotta have some people that I can count on,’ and now I know where I’m going to be for the next four years,” Arden Miller said.
Arden Miller also feels very grateful for all of the people who have supported her in her journey with the sport, especially her father. “My dad was the person who drove me and my sister across America and back, to make sure that we would be able to be seen by coaches…My dad helped me with emails, he was the one that
always pushed me and I learned how to push myself more,” Arden Miller said.
This fall, Genesis Mendez, senior, will pack her bags and move to South Dakota where she will play soccer at Dakota Wesleyan University, accompanied by a well earned full ride. “What made me want to continue was that I couldn’t see myself stopping playing soccer,” Mendez explained.
For Mendez, there were many sacrifices made that were necessary to get to the level she is at. “Every single day after school I had training with high school or club as well instead of going out,” Mendez said. Clearly, the hard work paid off for Mendez who will be joining fellow student athletes down the path of furthering her academic as well as athletic career this fall.
For these high school seniors, signing letters of intent to start a new chapter in their lives with a support system in a new environment is especially reassuring. “It feels great. Because when you go in, you already have a group of people and I get to play the sport I love,” Bailey Miller said.
