That was what helped ease the disappointment of missing the playoffs in volleyball and softball, and what sent Temple multi-sport senior Kacie Easley out as a District 12-5A champion.
More than five weeks after winning the girls 12-5A shot put title on her final attempt, Easley will get at least one more opportunity to represent the Tem-Cats when she competes today in the Class 5A Region II Track and Field Meet at Baylor’s Hart-Patterson Track and Field Complex in Waco.
And in a way, another chance is all she wanted.
“Softball season ended a little earlier than we wanted, so I’m excited that I get to compete again in this uniform and represent this school,” Easley said. “I’m just really happy to have this chance.”
Easley admits that her first love is softball, for which she has signed to play for Texarkana College, but does derive a certain satisfaction out of heaving a metal ball.
“I’ve been playing softball since I was 5 or 6 and I love it,” said Easley, whose final district toss of 38 feet, 2¾ inches gave her the gold medal by a quarter of an inch. “But I do like throwing and the competitiveness of it. You have to dig within yourself to be able to win something. I love to compete.”
Easley will compete at 1 p.m. today, with the top two finishers advancing to the University Interscholastic League state meet June 5-6 at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin.
Like all competitors at this weekend’s regional meet, making it to Austin is Easley’s primary goal. But she also hopes to enjoy what could be her last high school athletic competition.
“This will be a moment for me to reflect and realize that my high school career is coming to an end,” she said. “Hopefully, I can find a way to make it last a couple of more weeks.
“It will be kind of bittersweet, just having the opportunity to throw again but knowing that it could be the end of my high school career.”
There is a certain sense of finality attached to the regional meet. After all, of the 900 or so athletes who will compete today and Saturday, only about 75 will qualify for the state meet.
But Easley seems equipped to handle whatever comes her way. If she advances, that would be wonderful. If she doesn’t, she has other things to look forward to.
“I’ll definitely miss volleyball and track next year at college,” she said. “But I love softball so much, and I’m very excited about being able to devote myself toward just one sport next year.”
edrennan@temple-telegram.com
