Due to the current coronavirus situation and all sports being shut down, there are a lot of athletes who have had their senior seasons cut short. ENC Sports Review thought it would be nice to highlight some of these seniors as a small way to celebrate their senior year, since so much has been taken from them already. Today, we will highlight Triton High School Senior Brittany Ireland. We thank Brittany for taking the time to sit down with ENC Sports Review and answer these questions for us. We had fun learning more about her and hope you will too!
How long have you been playing sports?
I’ve been playing sports since t-ball, so about 15 years now.
What teams have you been on? (This can be rec ball, middle school and high school)
I played at Dunn Rec and Erwin Rec from t ball all the way up to 15u, then I played at Coats Erwin Middle School. As I moved into high school, I played varsity all four years at Triton High School. I’ve also played on a variety of travel ball teams.
Who has been your favorite coach and what did he or she teach you that you carry with you through today?
My head coach from 12u or my current head coach from my travel ball team have been my favorite coaches because of how team involved they are and how much they care about our well being. Each of these coaches have helped me move forward greatly and have helped me pursue my dreams of playing college ball. Without them I wouldn’t be the player I am today. They have both taught me to work hard for what I want, to ignore the haters and to never stop working until I achieved my goal.
What is your favorite memory and least favorite memory of playing sports?
My favorite memories from this sport are all the ones I made with my team, whether it was a big rival win or just us spending time together. I will always remember this one game from my sophomore year, it was the first round of playoffs and it was against South Johnston, our biggest rivals. It was the top of the second and I was up to bat, the other team’s coach was my batting coach so she knew what pitches I liked, the pitch was thrown in and I sent the ball over the fence. I remember the energy this gave my team for us to achieve the win, that has to be one of my most favorite games I’ve played. My least favorite memory has to be realizing that it’s all coming to an end. With the COVID-19 suspensions, it has really made me realize how important this sport is in my life and how hard life is going to become without it.
What is one thing or event that if you could do over again you would change?
If I were to change one thing, I would listen to my heart and gut more in travel ball. I played on many teams just because I thought winning was good, but in reality I knew it wasn’t and should’ve been showing myself to colleges way sooner. Once I finally joined the team where I knew I belonged, I thoroughly enjoyed playing so much more.
Who is someone you look up to and why?
I’m going to be honest I never really looked up to anyone much, but my child hood idol has to be the one player I looked up to the most. I looked up to Megan Willis, I attended many of her camps and learned so much from her. I looked up to her because of how hard she worked to achieve all that she did and how much she is involved with the younger generation.
If you could go back 5 years and tell yourself something then that you know now what would it be?
If I could go back five years ago to give myself a piece of advice, I would tell myself to be more confident and to not let any haters get in my head. I would remind myself that I am better than them and that they are just jealous.
What is something you would tell someone trying to follow in your footsteps?
If someone was to follow my footsteps, I’d tell them to keep up with your work, don’t worry about anyone else but yourself and email those colleges and get them to your games to watch you play.
If you have played your last high school game, what is something that you will remember for the rest of your life?
I sure hope I haven’t played my last high school game yet. I’m praying our season will continue. But incase that it was the last game, what I will remember the most is how the whole team, especially the seniors, came together to help comfort each other and to help each other do the best we possibly could. I’ll remember hugging my pitcher, who I’ve played with all my life, after the last strike of the game, possibly ending our high school careers.
Feel free to add anything that I might not have asked that people would like to know about your time playing sports or your future plans.
I’d like to thank all of my teammates, coaches, and supporters who have been there for me all of my career and life. I would not have made it here with out y’all. I plan on attending Catawba College on an athletic scholarship to play softball. I will be majoring in Environmental Sustainability with a concentration in Natural Resources.
Thank you again, Brittany Ireland, for taking the time to be one of our 2020 senior spotlights. We wish you well on all of your future endeavors.
Attention 2020 Seniors: If you are interested in possibly being our next spotlight, please inbox us with a picture of you (head shot or action shot, or multiple pictures), your name, school, sports/positions played and answers to some or all of the questions above.
Note: All photographs have been contributed to this post from the senior or their families.
ENC Sports Review 