O'Hara's Talents Will Be Missed By The Raiders
The month of June is here, and the Class of 2006 is ready for graduation. Along with the sweet vindication of senior year ending, however,comes those bittersweet tears as both Loudoun County High School’s varsity softball team and one of Gameday’s own will be missing, senior Missy O’Hara.
O’Hara has been a contributor to Gameday magazine, both writing for the magazine and producing the T.V. show, The Coaches Corner. Not only is O’Hara a talented journalist, but she is also a competitive softball player who has been playing since she can recall.
“I’ve been playing for about 13 years. I remember playing regular house league, then I moved up to tournament ball, and I’ve been loving it ever since,” says O’Hara.
O’Hara enjoys the game of softball, even with the criticism that it is a “lazy sport with no real contact.” She too has suffered from the pain of running constant sprints, conditioning, and even major injuries that forced her to overcome major obstacles. O’Hara broke her leg and was told that she would never be able to play again; however, she would quickly learn what it means to “never say never.”
“The doctors told me I wouldn’t walk without a limp, but I worked hard and did whatever they told me to. Now, I’m starting pitcher for my school, and I’m going to pitch in college,” says O’Hara.
O’Hara will be attending Lynchburg College in the fall, where she will major in communications and pitch for the Hornets’ softball team. Nonetheless, O’Hara adds that breaking her leg could have turned her away from the game she loves and playing at the Division III level, but overcoming her injuries taught her life long lessons she will retain forever.
“Breaking my leg helped me a lot by showing me how to distinguish between the good and the bad. You can choose to take someone’s opinion and live with it, or you can take his or her opinion and change it,” says O’Hara.
Change is good, as O’Hara went from a player with a broken limb to one of the best pitchers in the district, leading the Raiders, (9-5, 10-9), to 3rd place in the Dulles District with a positive outlook in the region. She and her team have overcome several obstacles and have proven they will continue to prevail.
“Nobody thought we’d be good this year, and we proved them all wrong by finishing third. If the team stays focused, we’ll have a good chance of doing well in the district tournament,” says O’Hara.
O’Hara’s optimistic outlook in every situation, as her teammates would put it, lifts up everyone on the team. O’Hara is not only Loudoun County’s starting pitcher, but she is also their team captain whose passion for the game seems to rub off on everyone else.
“Missy is a great team leader; she is not afraid to make a mistake to prove that no one is perfect and we all have flaws. That is what I love about her,” says junior Tracy Timbrook.
As one of the team’s captains, O’Hara has learned to lead by her example. Though a quiet leader, she leads her teammates by demanding respect of her fellow teammates. Her quiet and demure composure is important to her own personal game because standing on a pitcher’s mound with a full count is anything but quiet.
“Missy has gotten mentally tough throughout the season, [and] when she is on top of her game, her most threatening aspect is her confidence. When she is on top of her game, she knows no one can hit her, and she plays like it,” says head coach, Heather Todd.
Although this is Todd’s first year coaching O’Hara, she did not fail to notice her mental toughness and composure, even if the calls fail to go her way. O’Hara tends not to have to think when on the mound; her muscle memory has become so accustomed to the game, it’s almost natural.
“It has been drilled into me for so long, I just go now. If I think about it, that is when I mess up,” says O’Hara.
Mess-ups tend to motivate O’Hara and her team as they continually pick each other up to pull through some close games. One of her fondest memories of the season was her 1-hitter game against Dominion, winning the game and thus automatically securing 3rd place in the Dulles District.
“My proudest moments [this season] have been each game the team has not given up and all the close games we’ve won where the team has picked each other up. Finishing third place is great!” says O’Hara.
O’Hara will take away valued accomplishments she has shared with her varsity softball team this year and her years before. Academically, O’Hara has maintained a good GPA, as she juggles being a student-athlete, playing bass drum for the Marching Band, being a soprano in Concert Choir, writing for the school newspaper, writing for Gameday Magazine and producing The Coaches Corner.
“One of my greatest accomplishments has probably been becoming starting pitcher and managing my time pretty well,” says O’Hara.
With all that O’Hara has accomplished within her four years spent in high school, with both her softball career and writing career, when asked how she would fill in the blank, Ten years from now I had the best memories when____, it’s not about winning states or any sort of title for O’Hara; it’s more about being herself.
“Ten years from now I would say, I had the best time having fun doing what I love and just being myself.”
