MORRIS, Minn. - Throughout the summer we will highlight Minnesota Morris Cougar student-athletes. These profiles of students were written by students in a sports media class during the spring semester. Today we look at former softball pitcher Mackenzie Weatherly, written by former Morris football player Trevor Checkal.
 
Most stories you see involving a student-athlete seen on the news, or in the print media concentrate on major NCAA Division One programs. The circumstances surrounding players of this caliber differ dramatically than what those at the University of Minnesota, Morris experience. The athletes that choose to compete at our school, and other NCAA Division III schools, truly are students first and athletes second. NCAA Division III students cannot receive athletic scholarships unlike students who compete for NCAA Division I and II schools. This article focuses on the experiences of a true student-athlete, Mackenzie Weatherly, a senior pitcher on the University of Minnesota Morris women's softball team.
 
Like many people, Mackenzie started playing her favorite sport at a very young age. Her parents began taking her to town team baseball, and slow pitch softball games when she was very young. When she turned five, Mackenzie began to play organized ball games, and fell in love with the sport. During her early career she highlights some fond memories that have very little to do with the game itself. Some of her favorite memories include two of her teammates having a sunflower seed-spitting contest, and telling inside jokes with her friends. When stories of star players at the high level programs are shared, fond memories are typically some sort of accolade or championship game. Mackenzie's story is simple, yet powerful. Her stories are indicative of what youth sports should be about; fun times with friends.
               
Past experiences affect peoples' personality, and the way they approach situations moving into the future. People that play sports at any level share a certain set of skills, and develop personality traits that are different than other people. These skills and traits are learned early in an athlete's career and develop over time. The key skills Mackenzie notes are time management, dedication, work ethic, teamwork skills, and leadership. However, these skills are not inherent of everybody that plays sports. To be as successful as long as Mackenzie has requires the development of these skills, and the enhancement of these skills over time. Utilizing all of these skills is a requirement to get to the level she is at, and continuing to improve on those skills allows her to stay on top of her game. She notes that as you continue to ascend to a higher competitive level everything gets a bit more challenging. There is more time spent working on the game, and more time required on everything else; schoolwork, maintaining relationships, and inevitably deciding what your next step is. Mackenzie's high level of softball success while balancing the number of obligations on the side is a true testament to the positive characteristics she has learned through her life as a student-athlete.
 
Softball is a very short season, especially in Minnesota. Games are often postponed, made-up, or cancelled altogether. This can make it difficult to stay focused during the long off season. When asked about her preparation during the long lay-offs, Mackenzie says she never has an off season. She spends a lot of time playing in the summer and fall. In addition to playing extra games, she spends a lot of time practicing her pitching whenever she can find time. This is a heavy workload on its own. In addition to practicing her technical skills, a lot of time is spent weight-training and doing cardio in the gym. This is a lot of work simply for the love of the game. I have many friends at higher levels that often complain about the amount of time and energy they have to put into their respective sports. Admittedly they do spend more time than the vast majority of Division III players, they also can receive scholarships to make that time financially beneficial. The amount of time and effort required at the Division III level is still intense and to do it for four years requires a lot of perseverance and sacrifice.
 
Softball is an incredibly similar game to baseball, but also very different. I decided to ask Mackenzie to highlight the differences between the sports and how she feels about the comparison. She said that she feels many people think softball is an easier version of baseball with a smaller field, faster pace, etc. She also notes that most of the mechanical aspects of the game are incredibly similar. The biggest difference, according to her, is the pace of the game. Softball moves much faster, and has fewer innings. However, she also says that the pace of the game is also one of softball's greatest strengths, and finishes by saying if more people took the time to watch a game they might just change the perspective that softball is an easier version of baseball.
 
Before our conversation was through I asked her to describe her career at Morris. She mentions how she was nervous because she transferred from Concordia Moorhead, and felt she had to start over. She discussed how she eventually made friends and how that helped her feel like a part of the team. She called Morris a perfect fit. They allowed her to concentrate on academics as well as athletics, which to her are equally important. She notes major achievements as beating St. Scholastica twice, which is more than any other pitcher here in years. In summary, she learned a lot about the game and who she is during her time as a Cougar. Her advice to future players is to remember is to play for the love of the game and never forget why you love the game, because in the end, you need to love a sport in order to willingly give up free time in order to compete at the college level.