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Before the season started for the Dana softball team, Head Coach
Marcy Roff told her players
to write down every bad experience
they had ever had while playing softball. Some wrote a little;
some wrote a lot. After they were done, the team went outside
and burned all the papers to cinders.
Roff believes that above all else, softball should be something
enjoyable.
“ You have to love the game to play with us,” she
said. “With varsity and junior varsity combined, we play
70-plus games in a season. To do that, you have to be dedicated
in and out of season.”
Roff has brought a new attitude to Viking Softball.
“ We want it to be a family-type atmosphere,” Roff
said. “Everybody gets along. Everybody supports each other.
And everybody competes with each other in a healthy way.”
The team spends time together doing team-building activities
outside of softball weekly. Roff also assigns every player a “spirit
buddy,” whose job is to be her partner’s biggest
fan (and vice versa).
But the Vikings are hardly pushovers. Roff stresses aggressiveness
in all aspects of play. The Vikings are aggressive on the bases,
aggressive at bat and aggressive in the field. They rely on a
run-generating offense designed to put all the pressure on their
opponents’ defenses.
Every member of the team has her role and is pushed to become
the best player she can be. Roff said she is looking for recruits
who are willing to accept this challenge and able to be part
of something bigger than themselves. Recruits should also have
versatility, athleticism, an understanding of the game and the
willingness to try new positions.
The Vikings play in the tough Great Plains Athletic Conference
and also schedule respected non-conference games. Roff says the
schedule helps the Vikings get attention when it comes time to
do rankings.
“ We have three goals: Win our conference or our conference
tournament and go on to nationals.”
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