The Laker Softball team, celebrating before a match. Photo via the Lake Land Softball Twitter.

For many, being on a sports team can be very intimidating at first. New people, a new environment and new experiences all add to the anxiety of playing a sport. However, teammates will soon become like family, and all that’s left is the drive to play.

The Lake Land College (LLC) softball team is no different. Sitting down with number 26, Bella Atkinson, she shares fond memories of being on the team. Her position on the Laker team is short-stop. She is an agriculture transfer, set to play softball for Illinois State next fall.

She started her journey at LLC by accident. Head Coach Nick Nelson was recruiting one of Atkinson’s pitchers from high school, but instead noticed Atkinson and brought her down to visit the college. She had played softball her entire life, so it was natural for her, and she eventually decided to play for LLC.

When speaking with Atkinson, she is quick to talk about how much of a family environment LLC and the softball team provide. The love of the sport brings the girls together and gives them a sense of stability from already knowing people on campus.

Atkinson’s favorite memory from this season is going to Niagara Falls with the team after a few softball games. The girls were able to bond by seeing such a beautiful landmark together. Her favorite team memory from softball is when Hannah Parlier hit a home run while they were losing, leading to the game being tied.

Being a student athlete takes a lot of grit and determination. Balancing classwork, practices, meetings, workouts and a job takes a certain amount of dedication. Atkinson began explaining that being a student athlete is hard but teaches you many things. Time management and learning to focus on what’s most important are two major skills that can be learned from being a student athlete.

Although being a student athlete is hard, Atkinson, without a doubt in her mind, would still be a student athlete. “Yeah, I would definitely still choose to be a student athlete,” she stated proudly. Atkinson then explained that without being a student athlete, she wouldn’t have met her best friend, who is from Australia. The close family bond between the athletes is something that will forever be with number 26 as she heads off to a new team next fall.