This is a sponsored post
Ballard resident Liz Bell loves softball. She began by playing on an all-girls t-ball team while in kindergarten and has remained dedicated to this sport.
“Practicing softball nightly gives me the time and place to be meticulous about developing my skills, while also offering me a break from the stress of daily life,” Liz said. “Getting outside, taking reps, and seeing my friends routinely serves as a great practice for mental and physical health, and has helped me learn life lessons about teamwork and leadership.”
Liz moved on from t-ball to play shortstop for club teams based in the Bothell and Woodinville areas while attending school at UPrep, a 6–12 private school in Wedgwood.
When high school approached, her club coach told her about the opportunity to play for Ballard High School since UPrep didn’t have a softball team. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association allows Washington state high school athletes to play sports for their neighborhood high school if they attend a school that does not offer the student’s chosen sport.
As an added bonus, playing for Ballard meant Liz shared the field with some of her club and former Little League teammates. “It was a cool opportunity to reconnect with a lot of the people I had grown up playing neighborhood softball with, who I didn’t see at school anymore,” she said.
The only downside to competing for the Ballard Beavers? Not getting to ride the team bus. “My priority was staying in my UPrep classes as long as I could each day, which meant I didn’t get to commute to our games on the team bus from Ballard very often,” Liz said. “UPrep was very accommodating when I needed to leave classes early to make it to games.”
A current sophomore at Scripps College in Claremont, California, Liz’s passion for softball continues. The anthropology major plays second base as a member of the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Athenas, a Division III joint intercollegiate sports program of Claremont McKenna College, Harvey Mudd College, and Scripps.
Reflecting on her high school experience, Liz thinks she had the best of both worlds. “UPrep gave me a well-rounded education and provided a great baseline for a lot of my courses at Scripps. I felt well-prepared for college,” she said. “And it was fun to be a part of a community outside of school. The UPrep Pumas came to watch me play for Ballard, and seeing my friends and teachers show up was extra special because I knew they were there to cheer for me.”
UPrep enrolls nearly 30 students from the Ballard community. We invite your family to learn more at our upcoming open houses in October and November.