by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
The Minnesota Class AAA Section 8 softball first practice was to start on March 9, 2020. The section championship was to start on May 19. The days are dwindling to not have any interscholastic and intercollegiate spring sports. It is best to stay safe than to not be safe.
Maddie Hanson, 18, is a member of the White Earth Nation. She is a senior softball pitcher at Bemidji High School in Bemidji, Minnesota.
Her parents are Jari Eller and Charles Hanson and the family lives in Bemidji.
“I grew up in a pretty big family,” said Maddie. “I have four sisters and I’m the middle out of five in our family so my life has been a ride that’s for sure.”
“I play softball,” said Maddie. “I have been playing since I can’t remember.”
“Throughout the years playing softball we have had a lot of accomplishments,” said Maddie. “One of the biggest by far was in 2018 our softball team went to the state softball tournament in Mankato for the first time in history. I was lucky enough to pitch the section championship. It was also the only game we won at state that was so amazing, but I couldn’t have done it without my team.”
“Some of my core tribal values that reflect into my athletics are respect, responsibility, sportsmanship, and leadership,” said Maddie. “I try to show that I am a mature student-athlete with good sportsmanship. All of these assets are very important because it brings good character. I wish I bring positivity to the field and to people around, but never forget the competitiveness.”
“My teammates have always been pushing me my whole life with softball,” said Maddie. “If I didn’t have them, I wouldn’t be here today. They have been my biggest inspiration and influence.”
“Jess Yost graduated Bemidji High School (BHS) a while ago and then played softball as a pitcher at Bemidji State University (BSU),” said Maddie. “She’s coached me and always pushed me and helped me.”
“I started working with Maddie when she was a sophomore in high school,” said Jess Yost, former BHS Lumberjack multi-sport athlete and NCAA D2 BSU softball pitcher. “I coached her in volleyball in the fall and then spent a week working with all the Bemidji High School pitchers before their 2018 season. Maddie was the one pitcher who reached out to me afterwards and asked for more advice on pitching. At the time I was no longer living in Bemidji so Maddie would take video of herself pitching and tell me some of the areas she wanted to improve on and I would give her some corrections and drills she could do. It was awesome to see a young pitcher with such a drive to get better. Maddie took the tools I gave her and ran with it. It was great following all her success during her sophomore and junior seasons, and I hope she will get the chance to show off all her hard work in college.”
“I couldn’t have done anything without my coaches,” said Maddie. “I’m very thankful for them and everything they have taught me and done for me. My high school softball coaches Deb Stonach and Brad Takkunen have been with me for so many years and I seriously don’t know what I would do without them.”
“I coached Maddie since she was 10 years old,” said Deborah Stanoch, BHS Assistant Varsity SB Coach. “In the past eight years I have seen a tremendous amount of growth in Maddie on and off the field. This definitely would have been Maddie’s year. She was ready to step up and be a leader. Maddie not only leads by being outspoken, but by how hard she works in the gym and on the field. Maddie was committed this year to be the best she could be. She started early morning workouts in November and was a strong advocate for younger girls to start off-season workouts come January.”
“On the field over the past eight years, Maddie has learned how to control her emotions and be a solid force on the mound. Maddie is never afraid to ask questions and make sure that she understands the expectations for her on the field. This doesn’t always come at the best times but Maddie has always been great at making us laugh. One of my favorite memories of Maddie is being a couple of innings into a game and when Maddie got to first base after being up to bat we realized that she still had her phone in her back pocket! Frequently I had to do phone checks on Maddie and it was more than once that I subtly grabbed a phone from a pocket during a game!” added Deborah.
“Maddie has developed a strong relationship with her catcher,” said Deborah. “She relies on that relationship to get her through the struggles on the field with a missed call or bad play. Instead of showing the frustration on the field and affecting the game, Maddie has learned how to rely on those relationships to get her through the tough times. Maddie is always there to pick up the other girls when they are struggling and always positive and wanting the best.”
“Because this was to be her year, I know Maddie is frustrated that we aren’t playing. She put in a lot of time in the off-season to be ready for the year and has been working really hard the past two years to have her best season yet. As a coach it is hard to not be able to see what the girls could have accomplished this season especially being with them from when they started playing competitive softball. I coached Maddie during the summer with Blaze Softball for six years,” added Deborah.
“Maddie definitely has the potential to play in college if she wanted to,” said Deborah. “Her positive attitude and willingness to work hard would have been an asset to any team she wanted to play on.”
Brad Takkunen, BHS head softball coach, said: “Maddie has been playing varsity softball since 10th grade as a pitcher. She was going to be the ace this year. She was leading softball workouts starting January into March. Maddie is always smiling and being a solid leader. She has been working a full time to part time job for the last three years and is planning to attend college next year.”
“Some physical ways to improve my softball performance is always trying to get stronger and to stay and space,” said Maddie. “Stay healthy as much as possible for you and your team. It’s very important that you don’t do anything or put the team at risk for illness because it puts them down too. I just try and work out everyday or as much as I can or I get strong and feel good so that when we get to season we will be ready right away.”
“Mental toughness is a need in the game of softball. You need to be on your toes and have your head in the game. Calls and pitches aren’t going to go your way every time, but that’s the game. You need to be strong and move on from it, be the bigger person it’s only making you better as a softball player,” added Maddie.
“Some mental aspects of softball I need to work on is just to get out of my own head,” said Maddie. “I usually am pretty good at staying mentally strong but softball is a mental game, especially if you’re a pitcher. You don’t always get the calls you want. I just need to learn and stay positive, keep myself up and the team up as much as possible because that’s the best thing for the team.”
“Softball can increase spiritual awareness in so far as athletes embrace the tension between renewal and failure from moment to moment, which makes sport a ritual activity,” said Maddie. “It feels so good to play because you know it makes me and others happy.”
“During COVID-19 it’s very hard to stay happy and upbeat since it was supposed to be my senior year season playing softball with my team,” said Maddie. “We really had an amazing chance to go back to the State Softball Tournament. I have to realize I’m not the only one going through this. The whole world is experiencing this. I’m just trying to stay healthy, work out, eating good foods and trying to stay emotionally and mentally strong.”
“Softball has always been there for me no matter what,” said Maddie. “When I’m on the field it just feels good. It’s right where I belong there with my team and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
Photo Credit: Jillian Gandsey for the Bemidji Pioneer
