She knows all the words and can sing the theme songs from every Disney movie.
And if that wasn't enough, Erin Mackey is a varsity scholarship athlete at a Division I school.
"Her story is kind of a Michael Jordan story," said Mackey's younger sister, Jessie. "When she was 11 she got cut from Oak Park Windmills, the summer softball program that became a huge part of both our lives.
She and a few other girls wanted to play, so they did some recruiting and got a team together. Erin would never be cut from another team after that." The next year Erin made the team and went on to play for the Windmills for 10 years.
"My parents were always putting me in sports because I was kind of out of control. I guess it was always a way to channel my distracted energy," said Mackey.
After grade school at St. Edmonds in Oak Park, Ill., she moved on to St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago, where she played four years of varsity softball and now holds the league's record for most innings pitched at 11. "I think before softball was a pastime, something to do. Something I could be good at. But when I was in high school, I started hearing people around me talking about playing in college and I began to enjoy working toward that."
In 2000, Mackey was selected to play on the Spirit of Chicago team that toured Europe and competed in Holland. Chicago Tribune sportswriter Bob Sakomoto, who came to know Mackey while covering her high school career at St. Ignatius, coached the selective team.
"Erin Mackey is the all-American girl, one of the most well-rounded talents I've come across in my 25 years of covering fast-pitch softball," said Sakomoto. "She is a classic overachiever, pushing herself beyond the limit and maximizing her variety of skills."
Mackey's "distracted energy" and dedication, combined with her talent for the game, led her to make official visits to West Point and BC, and she soon had two national letters of intent in hand. "I really liked the West Point coach, and I thought that the discipline would be good for me and I could flourish in that environment," she said. Mackey spoke with BC's head coach Jennifer Finley, however, and made the last-minute choice to come to BC.
"Sometimes I think that BC doesn't deserve her," said Jessie. "Then again, I don't think anyone does. She puts in massive amounts of time and energy. Sometimes I think people forget what student athletes sacrifice to pursue their sport. I don't think Erin has ever questioned her decision to play. That says a lot about her dedication and willingness to sacrifice."
Spring Break
