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05/18/2020 12:00 AMBrent Aiken was devastated when he found out that his daughter was going to lose her senior year of high school sports. Brent is the father of Mairead Aiken, a senior captain on North Branford softball team. With COVID-19 forcing the cancellation of the 2020 spring season, Mairead and fellow senior captains Kayla Despres and Katy Pederson would be unable to take the field for the Thunderbirds this year.
Brent knew that there had to be a way to honor the seniors on this year’s team. So, he and the parents of the other senior captains organized a parade at Despres’s house in which teammates, family members, and firemen could drive by and show their appreciation for the seniors’ achievements. On May 14, that parade took place. Brent called it an “unforgettable event” and said that all three seniors felt special on that day.
“As a father of one of the senior captains, it was a very emotional moment. They didn’t have their senior season and everything that comes with it. They were looking to win their seventh Shoreline title, and they had a really good shot at it,” Brent Aiken said. “It was amazing to see the outpouring for the girls. Everyone got it. They understood that these seniors weren’t getting their final year. Kids came with posters and gifts and balloons. People really felt just sad for these three kids, but they wanted to honor them for what they put into the North Branford program.”
The parade lasted for just 10 minutes, but in that time, members of the North Branford community had their chance to pay tribute to the T-Birds’ three seniors. Mairead Aiken, Despres, and Pederson were each given a blanket with the colors of their future colleges, personalized water bottles featuring those colleges, a framed picture of the three of them playing together, and dirt from every field that they’ve played on, among other personalized gifts.
While Brent is Mairead’s father, he has also coached many of the other athletes on North Branford’s roster. He was coach of the Shoreline Sting travel softball team for nearly 20 years. By either coaching them or coaching against them, Brent got to know Mairead’s fellow senior captains, making their parade even more special.
“I’ve coached these kids since they were around seven. Now, 10 years later, I’m watching the culmination of their work,” said Brent. “Whether they played for me or against me in travel ball, I would see them every weekend or every other weekend. It’s remarkable to see their growth. They came together and did magic on the field.”
When schools shut down, North Branford Head Coach Nick DeLizio had doubts about the possibility of a season being played. The first people that came to DeLizio’s mind were the seniors.
DeLizio said that Mairead Aiken has a “heart of gold” and goes out of her way to care for her teammates. DeLizio said that she’s one of the kindest kids he’s ever coached and that everyone on the squad has nothing but nice things to say about her.
DeLizio described Despres as a “go-getter” and a vocal leader on the team. The coach said that Despres always pushes everyone on the club to do their best.
Coach DeLizio went on to say that Pederson is a hardworking, team-first player who leads by example. He said that Pederson is constantly trying to improve her skills, as well as the skills of the teammates beside her.
Aside from the three seniors, the athletes on North Branford’s roster include juniors Olivia Ferreira, Jada Miconi, Sophia Ouellet, and Erica Piercey; sophomores Hanna Senerchia, Nichole Gomez, Bella Hills, Gianna DePino, Laura Ackerman, and Maissa Caso; and freshmen Nevaeh Martinez, Dana Wray, Santina Ciampi, Tessa Juniver, and Ava Gambardella.
Even with the season being canceled, the T-Birds have been staying connected. On April 8, Coach DeLizio posted a video showing North Branford softball having a virtual practice to the tune of “Sunday Best” by the band Surfaces. During the course of a little more than two minutes, DeLizio hits ground balls and pop flies as the players field them and then throw the ball to the catcher.
Every member of the team had sent DeLizio a video of them fielding their position, and then North Branford’s skipper edited the videos together to make one cohesive practice. DeLizio said the team had a lot of fun making the video and that it kept their spirits high.
More recently, DeLizio had the T-Birds make a video tribute for each of the seniors. North Branford’s athletes sent in personalized messages about all three captains, and DeLizio again pieced the footage together. DeLizio sent out the videos on May 11, which was supposed to be North Branford’s Senior Night.
Coach DeLizio said the T-Birds are a “tight-knit group,” and that he wanted to make sure his graduating seniors felt appreciated, despite not being able to play.
“The culture is preached year-round. What you’re trying to do is create this mental toughness and this sense of leadership,” said DeLizio. “Just because you’re a freshman or sophomore doesn’t mean you can’t be a leader. Leadership starts in the classroom and how you treat people. If you want this team to be successful, you have to look at the big picture and know that how you look and perform is how others are going to portray you. We are a family. That’s the culture right there. You’re going to have your ups and downs, but you’re going to be behind each other year-round.”
As he looks toward the 2021 campaign, Coach DeLizio is hoping that his players stay sharp and come back ready to roll, while striving to improve as both athletes and people.
“I want everyone to be 10 times the player and person they were from the start of the season to the end of the season,” DeLizio said. “If they can push themselves, push their teammates, and be good people, that’s what I’m looking for. If you can do that, we had a great year. Wins are great, trust me, but sometimes you get a bad bounce. We are going to play hard and play to win, but if they can learn values and core beliefs, that’s my goal at the end of the season.”