SOFTBALL ALL-STAR GAME: LUEKE'S SKILLS LEAD HER TO PRINCETON.Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Staff Writer For most students, the transition from high school to college means striking a balance between schoolwork and having a life. Time management becomes the most important skill, one that is mastered some time during the freshman year, it is hoped. For Hart High softball softball, variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Invented (1888) in Chicago as an indoor game, it was at various times called indoor baseball, mush ball, playground ball, kitten ball, and, because it was also played by women, ladies' player Kristin Lueke, the transition from Hart to Princeton should not be too drastic. For as long as she can remember, Lueke has juggled academics with a demanding softball schedule. By the time she gets to Princeton, with its difficult schedule and world-class academics, she will be old hat at managing her time. Not that it gets any easier after all these years. For Lueke, it is a simple matter of priorities. She always wanted to attend a prestigious academic school and she always loved softball. Somehow she made it all work. Lueke will play her final high school softball game Monday as a member of the East team at the Daily News All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game played by the best players in their sports league. The players are often chosen by a popular vote of fans of the sport and the game often occurs at the halfway point of the regular season, although this is not the case for some all-star games at Glendale Sports Complex at 3:30 p.m. ``It was demanding, but when it came right down to it, that was the goal I wanted to achieve, so I kept everything in perspective,'' Lueke said. ``Everything I did was working toward getting to Princeton.'' Hart coach Cathy Giordano is not surprised Lueke pulled it off. ``She is extremely intelligent,'' Giordano said. Lueke had a decision to make, choosing Princeton over Harvard. She fell in love with the New Jersey campus during a visit there with her father last year and is excited about its proximity to New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. and Philadelphia (it's about halfway between the two cities). ``Everything was perfect,'' Lueke said. ``The small town, the campus and obviously the academics.'' Of course, with her departure date quickly approaching, Lueke is beginning to feel the usual anxious moments any high school student who is leaving home for the first time experiences. ``I am scared, but I am also excited,'' Lueke said. ``I guess the best way to describe it is a little apprehensive. It's a great opportunity for me, but I've never been so far away from home before.'' Fortunately, she will have softball on which to lean, and at the very least she'll have a new group of friends to take the place of to be substituted for. - Berkeley. See also: Place the many she'll leave behind in California. Lueke, who will get every opportunity to start as a freshman, is a leadoff hitter In baseball, a leadoff hitter is a batter who bats first in the lineup. Strategy Leadoff hitters must possess certain traits to be successful: they must reach base at a proficient rate and be able to steal bases. with tremendous speed and hitting ability. As a senior, she batted .390 with 18 runs scored and nine stolen bases. She was particularly effective batting with runners in scoring position In the sport of baseball, a baserunner is said to be in scoring position when he is on second or third base. The distinction between being on first base and second or third base is that a runner on first can usually only score if the batter hits an extra base hit, while a runner on , hitting .500 with nine hits in 18 at-bats. ``She's an absolutely terrific leadoff hitter,'' Giordano said. ``She can do it all, hit, steal bases. And whatever you need her to do, she'll do.'' Lueke hopes to major in international relations international relations, study of the relations among states and other political and economic units in the international system. Particular areas of study within the field of international relations include diplomacy and diplomatic history, international law, or political science and is aiming for a career in politics, although she doesn't appear interested in running for office anytime soon. ``Something behind the scenes,'' Lueke said. Right now she's focused on moving 3,000 miles from her family and friends and starting a new life. She can already sense her parents' apprehension The seizure and arrest of a person who is suspected of having committed a crime. A reasonable belief of the possibility of imminent injury or death at the hands of another that justifies a person acting in Self-Defense against the potential attack. . ``It's not anything they say outwardly out·ward·ly adv. 1. On the outside or exterior; externally. 2. Toward the outside. 3. In regard to outward condition, conduct, or manifestation: outwardly a perfect gentleman. , but it's displayed in some of the little things,'' Lueke said. ``The 'I love you's' and `We're so proud of you' are coming with a little more frequency as my leaving starts getting closer. It's a bittersweet bittersweet, name for two unrelated plants, belonging to different families, both fall-fruiting woody vines sometimes cultivated for their decorative scarlet berries. feeling.'' |
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