A team effort

How can a loss in a championship game feel like a win? Just ask the third and fourth grade girls from the Emerson Softball Recreation team who played Oradell on June 10, 2023. Emerson lost 8 to 7.

“To get to the finals in our softball season feels incredible,” fourth-grader Katelyn Tucker said. “This shows how good of a softball team we are.”

Tucker said her team, undefeated to that point, made practice a priority throughout the season.

“We would practice once or twice a week. We would catch softballs and swing the bat at home and go outside, and swing at whiffle balls with our friends,” she said.

Tucker explained that while individual practice is important, getting to the finals was a group effort. Her team from Emerson was one of 45 teams across Bergen County to make it to the finals.

“It felt great making it to the finals in our rec season,”  Tucker said. “We were all really proud of ourselves and happy that we worked hard as a team to get there.”

Alexia Perez, another fourth-grade player, also voiced how a team effort is needed to succeed.

“My advice to younger girls is to stay focused, listen to your coaches and practice a lot,” Perez said. “Also, always work together as a team and support one another.”