The 2018 Rams Reflect is the third in a series of annual collections. Senior captains and representatives of Suffolk teams have been invited to contribute viewpoints based on personal experience from both their senior seasons and full varsity careers at Suffolk.
For a complete listing of past and present Rams’ Reflections, click here.
Ali Yamakaitis | Hometown: Avenel, N.J. | Sociology
There is nothing quite like being a part of an organized sports team. I have done it since I could remember, first being on my tball team as the only girl amongst a group of toddler boys, all the way up to the end of my softball career at Suffolk University on an NCAA DIII team. I have been a part of more teams than I can recall -- some bad, some good, but none more rewarding than the team I am ended on this Spring 2018.
I recall Jaclyn Davis first emailing me during the fall of my sophomore year of high school in 2012. I played on a showcase softball team, and after our annual tournament in Massachusetts I was able to start the recruiting process to play softball in college. Since the fifth grade I went to a pitching coach twice a week for two hours to train for those exact moments, how to interact with college coaches, how to go about writing letters of interest in certain schools, and how to act during games in order to be a more “marketable” athlete. Day in and day out I never doubted my impending decision to continue softball competitively in college. However, I procrastinated the process that entire sophomore year. Since I was not engaged in the process, Coach Davis’ email sat in my inbox for an entire year until she decided to reach out to me again in the fall of my junior year, where I found myself at the same tournament that she first saw me play in, this time being ready to complete the dreaded “college recruiting” process. That summer of my junior year I responded to Coach Davis’ email, visited Suffolk, fell in love with Boston, and decided to apply only to this school. I got in, and five years later I have never felt happier with my decision to attend Suffolk, be a Ram, and play on the softball team for four years.
More often than not, being a collegiate student athlete was hard. Early mornings, schedule sacrifices, and missing out on all the things most college students do every day without question. Initially as a freshman I was certainly terrified of my coaches, upperclassmen, the city, and just about everything. With all things considered, the good always out-weighed the less than ideal aspects of organized athletics, and I instead relied upon the softball team to assimilate me into this new culture and city. Socially, I was introduced to an amazing group of friends that was added to each and every year and I never lacked friendships. I got the chance to play the sport I love, I was never a victim of any dreaded sport related injuries, and I managed to get some good grades in the process. Suffolk did that for me, and I will never forget the insurmountable experiences I’ve had here.
There is nothing more rewarding and happiness-inducing than looking back on my past four years here in Boston, and even my entire career as an athlete, to recall any and all of the specific memories I have shared with my teammates, coaches, family, and friends. I owe a lot to the sport of softball that, unlike basketball or tennis, has stuck by me throughout my entire life despite being more mentally than physically exhausting at times.
More specifically, Suffolk Softball has provided me with a solid source of friendships, competitiveness, and an outlet both emotionally and physically as I transitioned to my new home in Boston. I will forever be indebted to what it has provided me not only as an athlete but as a student, a future law student, and (eventual) attorney.
I want to also note I am writing this just six days away from the GNAC championship. After three years of falling short of the title, I have never felt so confident in the team Coach Davis has put together in myself and my fellow seniors final year’s ability to win the conference tournament. As of Sunday, April 29th, the Rams are your regular season champs, are rolling, and regardless of our successes on paper, or the outcome of next week, I would not trade my final season group of teammates for the world.
P.S. Shoutout to Big Ang, and my beloved Nan and Pop for coming to every single game, always encouraging my softball career, and continuing to support me even when I decided to uproot my life up north to Boston, 350 miles away from home. My success here would mean absolutely nothing without your guidance, support, and unimaginable amount of tough love.