Sport Spotlight: Rhylee Moore By: Jessica Magana Student athletes dedicate their preseason to work hard, practice, and challenge themselves to stay motivated for when the season begins again. For Rhylee Moore (11) this preseason has been a period of growth, discipline, and preparation as Moore gets ready for the upcoming softball season. Moore explains that practice and conditioning have been very helpful because it improves her as an athlete. However, Moore also shares that staying motivated every day has been one of the biggest challenges this preseason. “Practice and conditioning has been very good so far and very beneficial. The biggest challenge this preseason has been is being motivated to go to practice every time because sometimes I’m just tired and don’t feel like going some days,” Moore said. A usual practice day for Moore includes both physical and mental challenges. Practices usually begin with workouts and conditioning during the first half. Then, they either have drills or training in the second half. Some days are more difficult and demanding especially when lacking motivation and having high stress. Moore believes that showing up and pushing through it is an important part of becoming a better athlete. “A typical practice day right now consists of working out for the first half and doing either softball things or agility for the last half. Some days are very physically challenging with different workouts and types of conditioning, others are mentally challenging because you could be unmotivated, stressed, tired, or just not in the mood to push yourself but you have to show up anyway,” Moore said. Moore has been focusing much of her attention on improving her performance with her teammates. Moore understands the responsibility that comes with her position and how it impacts her team's success. This focus has helped Moore stay locked in during practice and motivated to continue improving. “I personally have been focusing on my pitching. I’ve been focusing on these things because my job is to pitch to my best ability so I can help my team be successful during the season,” Moore said. Looking ahead to the season, Moore has clear goals she hopes to achieve. Moore also stays motivated by reminding herself how rewarding her hard work will be and by remembering how quickly the season is coming. Moore is especially excited to see how her team works together as they move up to a higher level and face bigger competition. “My goal for this season is to pitch faster and be more accurate. I’ve been preparing by pitching anytime I can at practice and focusing on fixing my mistakes. I stay motivated by reminding myself how rewarding it will be if I continuously work to better myself. Plus, the season arrives much faster than you would think. The thing I am most excited for this season is to see how we work together as a team to play teams we’ve never played before. We moved up to a higher district so the competition is harder than before so we will have to work harder,” Moore said.