There’s more to leadership than stats and highlight plays, and Ava Booth knows it. “My personal goals this season are helping my team succeed not only physically, but also mentally by motivating and staying positive.”
Durant’s offseason training didn’t just focus on the physical. “This offseason, our team has taken a different approach to prepare for the season. We are focusing on a strong mental game. Softball is a sport full of failures and it can be easy to get frustrated and/or discouraged. Our coaches and the team are working together to create a mentally strong team because that is where success begins.”
Versatility has become a defining trait of this group. “The biggest improvement I’ve noticed within our team is our defense. In several instances, some girls have to play positions different from their primary ones. Despite this, they step up, adjust, and work hard in order to help their team and I think that says a lot about our team.”
For Durant, competition is the name of the game. “One major goal our team has this year is to compete. Every team can be beatable with competition. Aggressiveness, passion, and determination are tactics we are practicing in order to motivate us to compete. One of Coach Wyrick’s main questions this preseason has been, ‘Are we here to have fun or compete?’ With competing brings success, and success is fun.”
Ava sees unity as the team’s greatest edge. “I believe our team’s biggest strength this season is our bond. Teams are like families and without getting along they become dysfunctional. This team is one of the most harmonious and fun teams I have had the opportunity to play with in a long time.”
When Ava steps into the box, she already knows where she’s placing the ball. “A lot of times when I go up to bat, I bunt. When I am reading the defense, I typically look to see how far back the first basemen and the third basemen are standing.”
Ava’s legacy at Durant High is one she builds with pride: “When I leave Durant in May, I want my legacy to be a good teammate. Someone who my team could trust and always rely on when they needed help. I want to be remembered as not just a teammate but also a friend.”
