When Jasmine Byrum steps out on the softball field to play, she is proud to wear her Catoosa uniform and compete for her school. She says that, though she has only been there a couple of years, she has loved every minute of being a member of the athletic program at Catoosa.
“It’s an honor to play and represent my school,” she said. “The girls’ sports teams all treat each other as family and they work as a team. The coaches are really good at making sure that everyone feels welcomed and not left out. It’s a complete blessing to play for Catoosa sports and I’m very glad that I was part of it for the two years that I was here.”
Byrum is in her senior year at Catoosa High School. Along with playing softball, she is also a member of the powerlifting team.
Throughout her career of playing sports, Byrum has made a lot of memories on and off the field with her teammates. She says that out of all of them, there is one that stands out.
“One of the highlights of my career was during this softball season,” she said. “I had full count with one of our runners on first base. The pitcher pitched the ball right down the middle and I ripped it to centerfield, it hit the top of the fence and then bounced back in. Our runner on first scored and I got a double.”
All of her teammates play a big role in Jasmine and the team’s success. But she says that there is one teammate that has really helped her improve her game.
“The teammate I absolutely love practicing against is Autumn Shearer,” she said. “She’s very competitive which makes it so much better. We compete against each other but yet we’re close. If we didn’t compete against each other then it would take the fun out of the game and out of the sport.”
Someone that has played a big role throughout Jasmine’s life has been her dad. She says that she would not be the person she is today without him.
“My role model is my dad,” she said. “He’s always helping and pushing me to get better at what I’m doing. He taught me that no matter how hard it gets, it gets better. It’s not the end of your life, it’s just a little bump in your life. Another person that influences me is Jocelyn Alo. Even though she did nothing but hit, she came up there with a mind set that she’s going to do her best and do her part and she did it with her whole heart.”
