Middle School Sports Catching the Competition

All over Fair Grove Middle School, student athletes are competing in baseball, softball, and track with the hope of having the most successful spring possible.

The track and field team is coached by Marc Green for the boys and Kayla Holt on the girls side. Green’s passion for the sport comes from being able to work with the younger athletes, he explained, “I have always enjoyed working with our younger track athletes. I enjoy seeing our kids push themselves and be successful.”

To help with the goal of seeing the kids be successful the coaches have set up practice in a way that allows athletes to focus on both their field events while not neglecting their time on the track to get some running in. Green elaborated, “Middle School track practice is everyday after school until 5:30 and we currently have around 50 students on the team. Our boys and girls practice together each day. We divide up our practices where all of our athletes get a running workout in and then move on to field events.”

The track team, which features Gavin Thomason (8), Kolten Klindworth (8), Sage Crowley (8) and Londyn Beltz (8) competed at SBU in the middle school state meet where they had a large amount of success.

The middle school baseball team is led by Bill Voorhis, he explained why he decided to get into coaching baseball, “I had a baseball coach in HS that I would have done anything for and he has impacted so much of my life even today.” 

Voorhis has put in effort to prepare his players for the high school level, emulating the way that the varsity team practices and prepares for games, he elaborated, “We try to run the practices as close to the way that the Varsity team runs their practices, trying to prepare the kids for HS Baseball.” The team competed in the MLC tournament on April 29th.

The softball team is led by Samantha Orr who when looking for something new and found what she loved, taking the opportunity to help teach people to love the sport as much as she does, she explained, “My family has loved sports and when I was in high school I wanted to try something new, and that was softball. I loved it and enjoyed the game and being a coach means I get the opportunity to teach and help others love the sport as well.”

To prepare for games Orr focuses on her team’s fundamentals, along with the mental aspect of the game, she elaborated, “We practice the fundamentals as much as possible throughout the season, discussing the mental aspect of the sport and then we do a lot of game-like situations and batting practice.” 

The team, which features Madi Morris (8), Macy Ahnen (8), Kaylee Adamson (8), Addy Voorhis (8), Aubrie Voorhis (8), Anika Nyberg (7), Lexi Lepold (7), and Maylee Tucker (7) also competed in the MLC tournament on April 29th.