Plenty of success, great memories for Clarinda's Cole
For Clarinda senior Maddie Cole, softball has been her favorite sport but she has made a big impact in each sport she has played, leading Clarinda girls athletics to new heights the last four years.
Cole has also competed in volleyball, basketball and track and field during her four-year, four-sport career.
Clarinda senior Maddie Cole has played volleyball, basketball, track and field and softball during her career.
Cole is the last of eight area four-sport athletes featured over the last few weeks.
She said softball has been her favorite for several reasons.
Clarinda's Maddie Cole drives the ball during a home game this past season. Cole said softball has been her favorite sport during her four-sport career.
“I have always loved it, and I like playing on the field and with my friends,” Cole said on softball. “It’s a team sport but it’s also individual. It’s not like basketball where you can make a bad pass and it affects everyone on the court. Everything is mental and it’s your own personal game. I’m an outfielder, so everything is on me out there and it’s not on someone else.”
She said winning the Hawkeye 10 Conference championship her sophomore year has been her top memory, not just in softball, but in all sports, during her Clarinda career.
“We got to play for the championship at home against Creston who had run-ruled us the game before and the atmosphere was everything. We had bleachers in the outfield and when we won it was probably the best experience ever. We took a picture with the baseball team because they had won the conference the day before. It was really fun.”
Cole said her second favorite sport is “probably basketball.”
Clarinda senior Maddie Cole passes the basketball during a Cardinal home game. Cole said basketball has been her second favorite sport during her four-sport career.
“I have been playing with my friends since third grade in travel ball,” Cole said, “and we all grew together in it and found the love for it.”
She added that her sophomore season on the basketball court, was a great memory. The Cardinals won 15 games that year, a five-on-five program record.
“We had a new coach and had won eight games the year before,” Cole said, “and all of a sudden, we started winning. Being able to go from not having much success in basketball to being recognized for something was pretty special.”
It’s been a special run for Cole and her class, being right in the middle of an incredible run in Clarinda girls athletics as they went from struggling quite a bit in most sports for several years to one that is competing at or near the top of the Hawkeye 10 Conference and making deep postseason runs.
“It’s really fun to see,” Cole said. “Being part of sports going uphill and not down is special and leaving the sports where they are now, and knowing others can bring it up to. I didn’t want them to start where I started my freshman year. I just wanted them to start somewhere I didn’t.”
On the flip side, Cole said there are some losses that sting quite a bit, specifically losing to Hawkeye 10 Conference foes in consecutive years, one win shy of the state volleyball tournament.
Cole has also enjoyed the opportunity over the years to play with sister Ellie in multiple sports. It was just one sport this season in basketball and Maddie said playing with her one more season meant quite a bit.
Cole mentioned her dad Jon, who is also a teacher and coach at Clarinda, as one that has helped her grow quite a bit as an athlete, saying he’s good at knowing when to say things after a loss or during a struggle and when to let her have her space. She also mentioned Conner Hanafan in the weight room, basketball coaches Jake Lord and Jacob Privia and Jess Hanafan, Brad Knight and Chad Blank in volleyball, softball and track and field to helping her and challenging her to grow.
She said playing four sports throughout high school has helped her develop a no-quit attitude, staying with each sport over the years.
Cole is also involved in NHS, the Student Activities Council and FCA at Clarinda. She especially enjoyed FCA, which just got started last year.
“It’s a fun experience seeing people come and grow in their faith,” Cole said. “Being able to have a club where Christians in the school can go and learn how to use faith in sports in a really big step for our school.”
She added the Activities Council has also been a big help for the school, doing what they can to make each school activity, sports and non-sports, the best they can be.
Cole plans on attending college after graduating and getting a business or accounting degree.
Related
4-Sport Senior Maddie Cole, Clarinda, has played volleyball, basketball, track and field and softball during her high school career.
