The Blue Devils are back.
Jennifer Meyers / The Citizen
Cato-Meridian softball players Nicole Aylesworth (20) and Grace Opderbeck warm up prior to their season-opening game against Port Byron April 3. The game was the first in nearly two years for the Blue Devils as all spring sports were lost in 2005 due to budget cuts.
Cato-Meridian softball players Nicole Aylesworth (20) and Grace Opderbeck warm up prior to their season-opening game against Port Byron April 3. The game was the first in nearly two years for the Blue Devils as all spring sports were lost in 2005 due to budget cuts.
After a 2005 spring sports season void of everything Cato-Meridian, the playing fields are back in use and the teams are ready to reload.
Sports were cut in the district during the summer of 2004 but fundraising attempts by the Cato-Meridian Sports Booster Club salvaged the fall and winter athletic seasons. Unfortunately, Blue Devils' baseball, softball, track and field and golf lost their spring schedules due to a rejected budget proposal, along with all modified and junior varsity programs.
In June of last year, Cato-Meridian athletic director Betsy Hayden reinstated the sports program to full capacity.
The first pitch of the Cato-Meridian-Port Byron softball game on April 3 not only signaled the start to a season, it solidified the end of a tumultuous era.
“Kids and parents and the whole community are so excited to have sports back this spring,” Hayden said. “When they played their first game, it was so nice to see the blue and gold back out there.”
Although the teams are back in uniform and the player enthusiasm is at an all-time high, there remains the task of returning the stagnant programs to a level of athletic prominence. This duty lay solely in the hands of the Cato-Meridian coaches, many of which embrace the challenge no matter how foggy the immediate future may be.
“The kids are pretty excited and looking forward, as far as golf is concerned,” Cato-Meridian golf coach Jim Donahue said. “But when you set something aside for a long period, there's going to be some adjustment time. I don't care how long you lose it for, you're going to fall behind.”
Donahue's 17-man roster includes five tenth graders and three eighth graders. The softball team has eight players that were freshman or younger when the Blue Devils last took the diamond in 2004.
With a wealth of underclassman and a lack of playing experience at the modified and JV levels, Cato-Meridian's athletic success will depend on how quickly the first-year players get acclimated to their chosen sport.
“The eighth and ninth graders are where we'll see it affected the most,” Hayden said of the lack of experience. “We're definitely going to see it at the modified level because a majority of them didn't play last year and they make up a big part of the sports on each level. That's two years of kids that didn't play (last year).”
Donahue is approaching the new start as if it's the beginning of a new program, not the resumption of an old one. His focus is more on teaching the basics of the sport. Donahue's main concern is rushing his younger golfers instead of allowing them an appropriate time to develop and become comfortable playing in a competitive environment.
“We have a lot of new faces, in terms of kids coming out,” Donahue said. “We're going to have to re-energize. Back in the late 70s, early 80s, we went three years without sports and it set us back a while. It will take three or four or five years to recoup what we lost. There's a lot of teaching going on, especially in our sport, and you don't get that the years things fall behind.”
Cato-Meridian athletic teams do have one advantage over its rivals - a newborn hunger. Still perturbed at last year's loss, the Blue Devil athletes are more inspired and more driven than ever. So far, everyone involved has embraced the opportunity to rebuild the entire body of sports.
“It affects everybody,” Donahue said. “Most importantly the kids lost out, it's unfortunate. I think they're ready to get out there and play but it's still a regrouping process. We're trying to be on the way up and not on the way back.”
The loss of sports angered many but didn't drive away potential athletes as was feared a year ago. In fact, each team has seen a record number of sign ups.
“We have a brand new track that we get to use next week,” Hayden said. “There are so many great things about this year. Our track numbers are huge at the varsity level. The more kids we can get involved in athletics, the better it will be for our school pride and the community as a whole.”
As the spring sports begin at Cato-Meridian, an old love has again blossomed. While it may take months or years to restore the progress once achieved, most are just ecstatic to be back with their teammates while representing their school.
“I believe academics and athletics go together,” Hayden said. “There are no negatives here, all positives for the school. Hopefully we'll have some success with the teams this year but even if we don't, at least we're on the field and the kids are getting an opportunity. That's what high school is all about.”
Sports were cut in the district during the summer of 2004 but fundraising attempts by the Cato-Meridian Sports Booster Club salvaged the fall and winter athletic seasons. Unfortunately, Blue Devils' baseball, softball, track and field and golf lost their spring schedules due to a rejected budget proposal, along with all modified and junior varsity programs.
In June of last year, Cato-Meridian athletic director Betsy Hayden reinstated the sports program to full capacity.
The first pitch of the Cato-Meridian-Port Byron softball game on April 3 not only signaled the start to a season, it solidified the end of a tumultuous era.
“Kids and parents and the whole community are so excited to have sports back this spring,” Hayden said. “When they played their first game, it was so nice to see the blue and gold back out there.”
Although the teams are back in uniform and the player enthusiasm is at an all-time high, there remains the task of returning the stagnant programs to a level of athletic prominence. This duty lay solely in the hands of the Cato-Meridian coaches, many of which embrace the challenge no matter how foggy the immediate future may be.
“The kids are pretty excited and looking forward, as far as golf is concerned,” Cato-Meridian golf coach Jim Donahue said. “But when you set something aside for a long period, there's going to be some adjustment time. I don't care how long you lose it for, you're going to fall behind.”
Donahue's 17-man roster includes five tenth graders and three eighth graders. The softball team has eight players that were freshman or younger when the Blue Devils last took the diamond in 2004.
With a wealth of underclassman and a lack of playing experience at the modified and JV levels, Cato-Meridian's athletic success will depend on how quickly the first-year players get acclimated to their chosen sport.
“The eighth and ninth graders are where we'll see it affected the most,” Hayden said of the lack of experience. “We're definitely going to see it at the modified level because a majority of them didn't play last year and they make up a big part of the sports on each level. That's two years of kids that didn't play (last year).”
Donahue is approaching the new start as if it's the beginning of a new program, not the resumption of an old one. His focus is more on teaching the basics of the sport. Donahue's main concern is rushing his younger golfers instead of allowing them an appropriate time to develop and become comfortable playing in a competitive environment.
“We have a lot of new faces, in terms of kids coming out,” Donahue said. “We're going to have to re-energize. Back in the late 70s, early 80s, we went three years without sports and it set us back a while. It will take three or four or five years to recoup what we lost. There's a lot of teaching going on, especially in our sport, and you don't get that the years things fall behind.”
Cato-Meridian athletic teams do have one advantage over its rivals - a newborn hunger. Still perturbed at last year's loss, the Blue Devil athletes are more inspired and more driven than ever. So far, everyone involved has embraced the opportunity to rebuild the entire body of sports.
“It affects everybody,” Donahue said. “Most importantly the kids lost out, it's unfortunate. I think they're ready to get out there and play but it's still a regrouping process. We're trying to be on the way up and not on the way back.”
The loss of sports angered many but didn't drive away potential athletes as was feared a year ago. In fact, each team has seen a record number of sign ups.
“We have a brand new track that we get to use next week,” Hayden said. “There are so many great things about this year. Our track numbers are huge at the varsity level. The more kids we can get involved in athletics, the better it will be for our school pride and the community as a whole.”
As the spring sports begin at Cato-Meridian, an old love has again blossomed. While it may take months or years to restore the progress once achieved, most are just ecstatic to be back with their teammates while representing their school.
“I believe academics and athletics go together,” Hayden said. “There are no negatives here, all positives for the school. Hopefully we'll have some success with the teams this year but even if we don't, at least we're on the field and the kids are getting an opportunity. That's what high school is all about.”
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