Super seniors

Photo by Olivia Kloster

Life as we know it has been turned upside down due to the global pandemic. Individuals can no longer sit comfortably in class or go to gatherings to see friends and family. Life as a college student looks much different than it did a year ago today, but for the people to whom we all thought we would have to say goodbye, some are still here; we call them super seniors. 

The Ottawa softball team was going to have to say goodbye to eight members of the team in 2020 when the season was cut short due to COVID-19.

However, due to the fact that a lot of people’s seasons were skipped over in the midst of the pandemic, the NAIA granted everyone an extra year of eligibility. 

Two of the eight seniors decided to depart, continuing with moving on from softball; one is now a coach on the softball team, while the remaining five chose to use that extra year to continue to play the sport they love. 

When discussing with some of these super seniors why they all chose to come back for reasons of their own, the answers were varied. 

Amber Flummerfelt has been a consistent starting player for the Braves throughout her four years at Ottawa. She lost her junior season to a torn ACL and her senior season to COVID-19. After not playing a full season two years in a row, “getting to finish my career on a high note is such a blessing,” Flummerfelt says.

“I got to meet a lot of new people that I consider some of my closest friends. As well as play the sport that I love even longer than I expected to.” 

Another super senior is Kama Kaeo, who has played for the Braves for two years. She decided to come back due to it feeling like a second chance. 

“In the end of fall last year I got really sick again, so having last year taken away was somewhat of a blessing for me depending on how you look at things,” Kaeo says. “I had the rest of the school year and summer to get myself in check so I could have a good and memorable second senior year.” 

All of the super seniors agree that the extra year granted by COVID-19 is a blessing, both in getting to play that final season in a Braves uniform and in getting to close that chapter of their lives on a high note.