The Chosen Ones
Noel at her visit to Dawson Community College.
by Adam Rumsey
Every high school athlete’s dream is to be able to compete at the next level. To do this, it takes countless hours of dedication and a burning love for the sport. Junior Mason Otinel and Senior Shaeley Noel both are part of this elite group. Otinel has signed to play pro rugby in Japan for the team The Red Hurricanes Osaka and Noel has signed to play college softball at Dawson Community College in Montana.
“Rugby has brought me around the world and it has brought me a lot of money and hopefully a lot of fame,” Otinel said.
Otinel is excited for all the possibilities for his life this new opportunity gives.
“I’m excited to make a lot of money and expand my career in the Rugby field,” Otinel said.
Noel has also been given many opportunities because of her sport, like learning valuable lessons and creating strong relationships.
“I have played softball for eight years and I think the biggest thing that it has taught me is how to learn from failure. Softball is a sport of failure and 90% of the game is mental… Success doesn’t come from your ability to play, It comes from how you react to failure,” Noel said.
Getting to the place these athletes have is no easy task and takes years of hard work especially when the odds are stacked up against you.
“Ever since I started playing softball I knew I wanted to play at a higher level and now I get the opportunity to. I had coaches in the past tell me I would never play college softball, so getting to prove them wrong makes me feel so much better about myself. I know I can do hard things because getting here was hard but it’s not impossible,” Noel said.
