Oct. 31, 2011
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By MICHELE DANNO
IOWA CITY, Iowa — While the University of Iowa softball team had a fall filled with daily practices and offseason games, this past weekend, the team traded in its uniforms for Halloween costumes.
The Hawkeyes put their busy student-athlete schedules on hold to leave time for fun, taking the opportunity to get into the spirit of the season. Even off the field, they’ve made Halloween a team effort.
Senior Katie Keim and a group of her teammates all dressed up as Pocahontas characters, and they’ve spent the last week making costumes together, watching scary movies, and preparing for the holiday as a group.
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“We all love this time of year. It’s a good opportunity for us to take a break and do some fun team bonding. A lot of us live together, so we always get together to decorate our apartments, which included carving a lot of Hawkeye pumpkins this year.”
Senior Katie Keim
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“We all love this time of year,” said Keim, who was a third team All-Big Ten selection as a junior. “It’s a good opportunity for us to take a break and do some fun team bonding. A lot of us live together, so we always get together to decorate our apartments, which included carving a lot of Hawkeye pumpkins this year.”
Amidst the Halloween spirit, the team hasn’t forgotten to embrace their Hawkeye spirit, and used it as an opportunity to give back to the community. Senior Liz Watkins, who represents the team on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, said a group of her teammates volunteered to help build a haunted house for the Neighborhood Center of Johnson County.
The Hawkeyes teamed up with some children to make the experience as spooky as possible. The players all agreed that it was a good opportunity to build relationships not only with each other, but also with the fans that support them.
Watkins said getting more involved with the community is not just a Halloween tradition, but something her teammates have made a habit of doing all year round.
“It’s never hard to get our girls excited about volunteering,” said Watkins. “We try to do as much as possible to give back to Iowa City, and the offseason is always the best time because we aren’t traveling or playing as much. The community always gives back to us in the spring when they come out and cheer us on, so it’s really a mutual thing.”
Overall, the Hawkeyes agreed Halloween has been a success this year. Now it’s back to the diamond in preparation for the upcoming 2012 season, where they’re hoping for the same success on the softball field.