Spring sports senior profiles, an ongoing series

With the spring sports season in question, we here at the Coalfield Progress/Dickenson Star/Big Stone Gap Post hope to run a profile on each and every senior in the paper. Our intention is to give them and their families something to feel happy about in a time of such uncertainty. This will be an ongoing series with different students featured each week.

Union softball’s Marleigh Duncan

For Marleigh Duncan, being involved with sports just runs in the blood. Her father and brother played football in school and her mother and sister play softball as well.

In her eighteen years, she has played a variety of sports such as volleyball, swimming and dance. But, when she started high school, she decided to focus solely on softball. Duncan will continue her academic and softball careers at King University while majoring in nursing.

Upon learning that she had spent her last day at Union High School as a senior, she defines the moment as “heartbreaking”.

“I did not think that Friday would be my last day of high school. It’s difficult knowing that you won’t be able to see your friends every day at school,” Duncan said.

As far as the softball season goes, Duncan is trying to remain positive.

“We’re still hoping for the best,” Duncan said. “Knowing that I may not get to play my last year of high school softball with my team, and especially my sister, is weighing heavy on me.”

Duncan imparts a message of hard work to the Lady Bears.

“I hope that this delay pushes my team to work harder and never take a season for granted. I hope they always cherish the team bonding that we had, long practices, and even the tough workouts we had,” Duncan said.

Union softball’s Emili Brooks

Eighteen-year-old Emili Brooks is an avid athlete playing volleyball, basketball, softball and track. She began in basketball and softball at a very young age and remembers joining the Future Bears volleyball program in the third grade.

Brooks has achieved several milestones in her prolific athletic career including becoming the VHSL’s all time leading volleyball scorer in the fall as well as scoring her 1000th point for the basketball team in the winter. She has signed her letter of intent to play volleyball at UVA Wise starting in the fall, but has not decided upon her major.

In regards to the softball and track seasons hanging in the balance, Brooks is holding on to the possibility of “one last season”.

“I wasn’t expecting my senior year to end so soon, and I was looking forward to making many more memories with my senior class. I was excited to play one last season with my team,” Brooks said.

Brooks hopes that underclassmen learn to not take anything for granted.

“I know people probably tell you this all the time, but don’t take a single second of long practices, or high school in general for granted, because it really is over in the blink of an eye,” Brooks said.

Union softball’s Heather Lipps

Heather “Oobie” Lipps, 17, has grown up playing softball and basketball and plays both for the Lady Bears.

Lipps has chosen not to continue playing sports in college. She plans to attend Mountain Empire Community College in the nursing program and then transfer to a four-year college to obtain her bachelor’s degree in nursing.

Lipps describes the abrupt ending of her high school career and possibility of not having a senior softball season as “crazy” and “devastating”.

“The thought of never being able to put on my uniform and play a sport that I love and adore so much is absolutely heartbreaking. I hope that all of this is over soon so that we will be able to play the sport we love one last time,” Lipps said.

Lipps’ words to her fellow teammates are ones of being present and thankful for what you have.

“Time really does fly by and before you know it, you will be hanging up that jersey for the last time. I encourage you to live in the moment and have fun. Never take anything for granted because you never know what tomorrow is going to be like,” Lipps said.

Union softball’s Abbi Dickenson

Abbi Dickenson participated in competitive gymnastics until she moved to Big Stone Gap when she was nine years old. Now 18, Dickenson plays softball and volleyball for the Lady Bears.

Dickenson says sports have always been a big part of her life and allowed for her to make great memories and friends. She will be attending Hollins University in the fall, majoring in psychology and playing volleyball.

As with most seniors right now, nothing could have prepared Dickenson for losing out on the last few months of her senior year.

“We were just getting into our senior year festivities, the things we had been looking forward to all year and really all of high school. We witnessed the classes before us enjoy their last year and have been waiting for our time to come. It really didn’t hit me until this past Monday when they officially called off school for the rest of the year. Realizing that the best part of senior year was being washed away for all of us so quickly was very upsetting,” Dickenson said.

With the softball season hanging in the balance, Dickenson also spoke about the possibility of not being able to finish out the sport in which she has invested half of her life.

“As a senior, knowing that there is a good chance of not getting to finish out your high school career in a sport that you’ve put so many years and time into is definitely a hard concept to take in. My team has worked so hard in the off season and we won our first scrimmage,” Dickenson said.

Dickenson was quick to praise the school administration and their efforts to help the seniors.

“Though all this madness is happening, I feel very grateful for the schools and county trying their best to salvage as much as they can of our senior year,” Dickenson said.

To her fellow seniors and teammates, Dickenson imparts these words of compassion and hope: “To my fellow seniors, we have played together between school ball and travel ball for so long and I hope we get our last time all together. To the rest of my teammates, I know that we all can’t do too much right now sitting at home, but one thing we can do is stay positive. It ain’t over just yet.”