This is the fifth in a series of weekly question and answer sessions with members of the 51·çÁ÷ softball team conducted by team play-by-play announcer Ted Rossman. Each week a different Raider will be in the spotlight. Previous spotlights have featured Stacy Mui, Dorothy Donaldson, Kate Howard, and Nichole Rawson, and are available on the 51·çÁ÷ Athletics site ().
Senior designated hitter Rachel Smith (Annandale, Va.) is one of 51·çÁ÷’s 2004 tri-captains, along with juniors Nichole Rawson and Dorothy Donaldson. A three-year letterwinner, Smith has knocked in 49 runs during her 51·çÁ÷ career. She is a lifetime .260 hitter, and has appeared in 160 games (150 of them as a starter) as a Raider. This week, Rachel discusses her role as a team leader, recounts her semester abroad, and reminisces before her upcoming graduation.
Ted Rossman: What does being a team captain mean to you’
Rachel Smith: I think it means that you have to be a real team player who makes sure everyone knows that their role is important. When the coaches asked me if I would be a captain this season I was really excited. I think it’ll be great this season. The problem with senior leadership is always that those players will graduate at the end of the year, but I know that after we lost at [NCAA} Regionals last year, I was so excited that I had another year to come back and give it my all.
TR: Is there anyone whose leadership style you feel has influenced your own’
RS: Well, I think that there are two types of leaders: people who lead by example and people who are very vocal. I’ve tried to do a little bit of both, just like in my game, where I’m not a dominating hitter or a great defensive player. I just try to be diplomatic. It’s interesting because in my experience most captains I’ve had have been either the best player on the team or because they were the only senior or something. So I’ve tried to blend qualities from all of them, in order to continue the legacy of 51·çÁ÷ Softball.
TR: What are some of your favorite hobbies’
RS: I really enjoy traveling. I went to Ibiza [an island off the coast of Spain] last summer, and to Key West and Cozumel last winter. Paris is my favorite city I’ve been to. I love the city and would probably live there if I spoke French [laughs]. I just love being in that city, with all the people, museums, live music. I also enjoy volunteering. I like to keep myself busy.
TR: Did you consider any of 51·çÁ÷’s off-campus study opportunities’
RS: Yeah, I actually went to Sevilla, Spain in the fall of my junior year. It was one of the greatest experiences in my entire life. It was really awesome that coach [Sax] let me go. I thought it was interesting to see how other people live, like people here [at 51·çÁ÷] worry about things that would never matter to these people. It really gave me a lot of perspective.
TR: What can you tell us about Sevilla itself’
RS: It’s probably about the size of San Francisco, I’d say. There are a lot of people who live in the city, but it’s very homogeneous. Basically no one spoke English. It has a very old downtown, with old cathedrals, artifacts, things like that. The outlying parts of the city are pretty rundown. It definitely makes Madrid look like Times Square [laughs].
TR: Were there any particularly interesting or challenging aspects of the semester’
RS: Yeah, right away, actually. A bunch of us missed our program flight, so we really had to come together, because like none of us spoke Spanish. I stayed with a host family once I got there, and about three weeks in I had learned enough Spanish to get by. I’d say I’m pretty fluent now.
TR: What are some things that you and your teammates do on road trips’
RS: When we were in Washington [D.C.] a couple of weeks ago we went to the mall, but I guess that’s a really girly thing [laughs]. We play a lot of games, like car games where you try to think of a word that starts with the letter the last person ended on. We like going to Starbucks, we play [the board game] Taboo a lot. We try to make the most of bus trips. When we’re in Florida, we usually try to get to one of the amusement parks, hang out in hot tubs, on the beach, stuff like that.
TR: Do you have a favorite place on 51·çÁ÷’s campus’
RS: I’d have to say the softball field, although it’s not really on campus [laughs]. It’s a great way to get away from the things that stress people out, especially when it’s sunny. I don’t really feel like I’m at school when I’m there. People really want to come to practice. It’s a great outlet from other things.
TR: Is there anyone on the team who you would describe yourself as being particularly close to’
RS: [Catcher] Stacy [Mui] and I both came in together as freshmen, when there were 10 of us. Now there are only three of us as seniors [pitcher Elena Isaac being the third]. We’ve watched each other mature and grow up a lot, really find out who we want to be. We have a real mutual respect for each other, even though sometimes we have different views or ideals. We really enjoy each other’s company. We’ve been through it all together.
The other player would be [junior first baseman/outfielder] Caitlin Thistle. She stayed with me when she was being recruited, and we’ve become really good friends. We room together on the road most of the time. We just have a lot of fun together.
TR: Do you have any plans after graduation’
RS: I don’t have any definite plans yet, but I think I’d like to move to [Washington] D.C. I love the city. I’m a SOAN [Sociology/Anthropology] major, and I have an interest in politics. I think I might just see what’s out there, maybe start out at a social service or non-profit organization, or maybe volunteer.