There are times as a writer that you go through games, seasons or combination of both that you struggle to find the positives about the event.
Those moments of "writers block" can even hit you before a rough draft and you actually stop along the side of the road and write the rough draft on the way to that class because it "hits you" in a moment—true story.
There are also those games, seasons or a combination of the two that you thoroughly enjoy the ride and never want to see it end. For this writer, that has happened in Salem athletics on a number of occasions. The first was the 2019 soccer team that reached the semifinals of the USA South Conference Tournament, the second was the 2020 softball team that put together a nine-game winning streak before the season was shut down for COVID-19.
Another was the return of athletics from COVID and the 2022 tennis team claiming wins in six of its last seven matches. One of the most memorable was the 2022 Spirits volleyball team finishing 21-10 overall and 12-6 in the USA South Conference before repeating that performance in 2023 by closing the season 23-10 overall and making back-to-back appearances in the USA South Conference semifinals.
There have been individual moments where Dionne Sampson scored her 1,000th career point and Valeria Rosa Lopez reached 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in 2022. The most recent was enjoying the success that Darilyn Nieto experienced in reaching 47 goals and becoming the program's all-time leading goal scorer.
However, all those moments wouldn't have been possible for this writer in particular had it not been for the confidence that President Dr. Summer McGee instilled in the campus, the Department of Athletics and most importantly, myself, because she believed in the skill set that we all possess.
This past Saturday afternoon, President McGee pulled off her version of a Michael Jordan, returning to the diamond, where she tossed out the first pitch at the Salem softball fall game against USC-Union. It was just one pitch for McGee, who was heckled to 'show off her rise ball' by a bystander.
That bystander had no clue that she had once become the first pitcher in Kankakee Valley High School varsity softball history to toss a no-hitter. In that performance she and her teammates battled through a dark and stormy night, where McGee finished with three strikeouts and an 11-0 win. Three days before that feat, McGee had become the first pitcher in jayvee history at Kankakee Valley to toss a no-no.
Saturday was just the most recent example of McGee's passion for the Department of Athletics. She is constantly seen at volleyball matches, even dishing out a few pregame assists several years ago in heels mind you, and attends tennis, soccer and basketball games on a regular basis.
But, to reiterate the previous statement— all those moments wouldn't have been possible for this writer in particular had it not been for the confidence that President Dr. Summer McGee instilled in the campus.
After all, she came to Salem following a very dark and stormy time in world history and Salem history. The campus was coming off nearly a year of not having in-person classes. She met with all of the Department of Athletics staff and without saying these exact words gave us the sense that we were going to get to drive the collective bus and be the face of the program and more importantly, Salem College itself.
That confidence boost paid off as we all reconvened the next year and she expressed how we had reached markets that we had never reached before. Salem Athletics and the Salem Admissions Department was able to pull students from parts of Eastern North Carolina, Virginia and Ohio in ways we had never done.
Her confidence and support has been unwavering for the Department of Athletics. That assurance has certainly made a bigger impact on the life of this writer and many of my colleagues. She invites all of the campus to have a voice in the growth of Salem Academy and College not only with her open door policy, but also by holding meetings where everyone is encouraged to speak and share their ideas. At one meeting in particular, someone in the gallery referred to her as a "young President" in the most endearing ways and she has still yet to let them forget that statement.
As legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden once said, "the difference between a successful coach and a great coach is the ability to inspire and empower their players." This would be a great definition of President McGee. After all, her most recent display of passion toward the Department of Athletics in the form of a first pitch is just another example of her inspiration and empowerment of her student athletes and the Department of Athletics itself.
