Magnificat High School - Magnifier Yearbook (Rocky River, OH)

Page 78 text:

Congratulations to the MVP of the freshman softball team, Katie Rosfelder ’87, are present ed by Miss Polzer. The freshman team, new this year, was coached by Miss Marianne Whitford, as was the new freshman basket¬ ball team. Photo by A. Sheridan. A base hit is contacted by Lisa Whitford ’86 in the 7th inning of a home game against SJA. The defeat was the last game of the season. Photo by A. Sheri¬ dan. With the audience in tears with laughter at the spring sports banquet. Miss Polzer describes Mary Kinzel’s 85 home run against Holy Name. The banquet was held May 29. Photo by A. Sheridan. 74 SOFTBALL

Page 77 text:

Determination shows on the face of Cheryl Trzcinski ’86 as she winds up to throw the discus. Cheryl also threw shot put. Photo by S. Trzcinski. On the turn and edging past her Medina opponent, Carolyn Goins ’87 runs at Amherst. Prelims for the Regional meet were held Thursday, May 24. Photo by A. Sheridan. Quite a (continued from page 70) record. The team consisted of 38 determined girls. Ev¬ ery- day after school — rain or shine, gusting winds or snow—ea ch team mem¬ ber stretched out in the gym, doing the workout for her specific event. After that, she would work out on the school’s new Universal equip- This time solo, Beth Crowley ’85 takes to the line for a Regional race. At Districts, Beth placed third in the 800 with a time of 2:24.1. Photo by A. Sheri¬ dan. ment. Then it was outside for laps around the school or laps around the block. Being part of the team provided a chance to develop new skills and stay in shape. The girls really supported each other at meets. It was not uncommon to see Magnificat girls stationed out around the track dur¬ ing a race to cheer a teammate on to victory. And there was always someone at the finish line to catch a collapsing runner. The girls were often complimented at meets, not only for their skill, but also for their friendli¬ ness and good sports¬ manship. The team also received compliments in the Sun Herald, which had weekly articles about the team’s latest accom¬ plishments. It wasn’t easy. Every member of the track team worked hard. But the outcome of the 1984 track season proved to be well worth the effort.® —Cheryl Trzcinski TRACK AND FIELD 73

Page 79 text:

With the announce¬ ment that she has been named MVP, Martha Cutar- eHi ’84 accepts the award from Miss Powell. Martha was the team’s co-captain. Photo by A. Sheridan. Coaches often have to double as managers, as does Miss Powell as she picks up third base after a home game. MHS played home games at Linden Field. Photo by A. Sheri¬ dan. For art accurate forecast. Ask the coach Most weather forecast¬ ers use charts, graphs, and radar. Many people afflicted with arthritis claim they can predict a change in the elements by the aches in their joints. Apparently Miss Polzer, the softball coach, has developed a new method: just check the softball schedule. It seems that during the 1984 softball season, whenever a varsity game was scheduled, the Cleveland area was hit with cold, rain, or wind. Any one of those three could be hazardous to a softball season. Unfortunately, all three could be counted on dur¬ ing the spring. The team was rained out of several non-league games and was forced to postpone four conference games until later in the season. In addition to the rain, the team was faced with games in forty-degree weather. While coaches Miss Polzer and Miss Powell and a few brave fans were decked out in long underwear and mittens, the players suf¬ fered in just their uni¬ forms. Perhaps the most bizarre weather affecting the season was the wind. At the first home game against East Tech, the wind was so strong that it caused numerous halts in the action due to poor visibility. Another plague was rusty playing skills. After starting the season with a big win over Lincoln West, the players seemed to remember that they hadn’t played for nine months. The hits failed to come, the errors appeared, and the losses piled up. Of course there were reprieves. The hits fell into place and the defense was solid in a few important games lat¬ er in the season. Accord¬ ing to Kathy Heppler ’85, “Our biggest problem was inconsistency. Somebody would get a great hit, and maybe we would score some runs. Then the next inning we wouldn’t be able to get the ball out of infield. The same thing would happen in the field. An outfielder would make a terrific play, and on the next hit an infielder would blow an easy grounder.” When a team is losing, it becomes easy to stop caring. That particular plague never afflicted the Blue Streaks, though. Even when they were losing by more than a few runs, they hustled down the base line. They cheered for each other from the bench and in the field. The weather and poor record, could have made the season dismal, but the players didn’t allow that.® — Molly McCloskey SOFTBALL 75