A mentorship program for young athletes has kicked off at Blue Mountain Union; high school softball players were given the opportunity to mentor one or two younger student-athletes in 1st- 8th grade. This mentorship program consists of younger student-athletes attending high school softball practices and games, and high school players watching younger players’ games. While this program is in its early stages and barely any information has been released yet, many athletes are excited about this opportunity.
Many high school team players think that this is a phenomenal idea, and they are excited about this experience of connecting with younger students both on and off the field. High school senior Maddy Houghton shared, “This is a great way to grow participation in the Blue Mountain softball program.” Another participant in the mentorship program is 3rd grader Harmony Scott. Scott stated, “I am excited to practice with the older girls, work on pitching and catching, and work with my mentor and friends.”
This mentorship comes with an effort to increase the participation of young softball players in our program. Unfortunately, Blue Mountain doesn’t even have enough players to field a majors softball team this year; the few players who signed up will play for Haverhill’s team.
BMU’s Head Coach Mike Murray explained his idea of how to help the program. “After coaching Little League softball and baseball for so long and having great numbers all those years, it saddens me to hear that not many girls are playing softball. In my mind, there is no better way to gain excitement in our program than to reach out to our Little League softball players and mentor them, get them excited about playing and working with our varsity girls.”
The mentorship program is not only about generating youth participation; it is also about connecting our varsity girls with community service. Murray explained, “I’m hoping our team learns that it’s always good to give back” because “it costs nothing to make someone feel good! I can almost guarantee our community will support us more knowing that our varsity players are giving back and being good examples for our elementary student-athletes.” Finally, Coach Murray stated, “We want our program to be recognized not only as a group of great athletes but also as great humans!”
This program is designed to help increase the participation of students in sports at Blue Mountain, and it is a wonderful way to connect our community, not only through sports but through friendship as well.
