Mike Vukovcan Slowly but surely, the 2024-25 school year is coming to an end which means this spring sports season will be the last time that seniors represent Hopewell High School on the playing field.
It goes without saying that these next couple of months will be emotional for many athletes in this situation, especially two members of the Hopewell High School Softball team.
Seniors Kara Barkovich and Victoria Mann are not only teammates but have been lifelong friends. The pair has known each other since kindergarten and have played sports, particularly softball with each other since then.
Vikings Sports Now had the pleasure of sitting down to talk with Mann and Barkovich about this last go-around and both talked about the emotions that will go with it.
“Here and there I think about that this is it that is my last season with my girls and it does make me emotional at times,” Mann told Vikings Sports Now. “I know that I’m going to cry at Senior Night and at our last game. Right now, though there’s so much going on with practice and us all working hard that I forget about it. I do need though to start paying more attention to it and remember to take in the moments.”
“With it being my last time for everything, it has changed in a way my preparation and focus to the season. I’m feeling like I have to make the most of everything. I need to try my hardest at every practice, every game, at everything. This is it.”
“I think it hit me, and I actually have a specific moment,” said Barkovich. “We were on our way to the Blackhawk game, and we were in the back of the bus, and they have our names on the poles on Longvue in front of the school. Seeing those it just made me start thinking that this is really my last year with these 3 seniors and my teammates. I’ll never be with this group of girls and this Hopewell team again.”
During the interview, you could just tell and feel the closeness between these two girls, which made having the opportunity to play a competitive sport together for the last 6 years that much more enjoyable.
“It really has meant the world to me.,” said Barkovich. “We started off, I think I started pitching at 8U and ever since then, we’ve grown a close bond, especially on the field. When I’m on the mound, she can just tell what pitch I want to throw. We literally have this connection, and she knows what’s working and what’s not. She just knows me.”
“I know what pitch she wants to throw,” said Mann. “Sometimes we just look at each other and just nod and I don’t even have to call anything, I just know what she’s throwing. Growing up and playing together for so long, we just have a chemistry.”
“It’s made it a lot more fun,” said Mann. “But it also makes it a lot sadder when it comes to an end because we’ve been together since we were in kindergarten which makes things really sad but I’m just glad that it’s happened, and we’ve been able to share this experience in life together.”
Enough of this sad talk because this Hopewell team has a chance to make a lot of happy memories the rest of the season. The Lady Vikings have one more non-conference game before section play begins and then hopefully that’s followed by the playoffs.
“I really have a confidence in this year’s team,” said Barkovich. “I’ve never had a bond with a Hopewell team that I feel with this one. I feel that by having that could help us go really far. I think we have a good shot at making the playoffs, but I want to do more than just making the playoffs, I want to go further.”
Mann echoed that talking about the closeness of this team and how everyone gets along. There’s been a real effort to develop a team chemistry and wanting to win for one another.
“I entered this year thinking that we were going to be good and now seeing the way that we’ve played I still have very high hopes for us,” said Mann.
“I think our latest game against CV really showed people what we can do as a team,” said Barkovich. “Our defense was on point and our offense really came through with everyone hitting the ball.”
That Vikings offense was definitely hitting the ball with Mann and Barkovich leading the way with 2 HR’s apiece.
Hopewell’s dynamic duo has plenty of more games to make highlights and have a clear vision of how they want to be remembered.
“I want to be remembered as the Senior Group that was fun, didn’t have problems and brought life to the team and made the underclassman feel welcome,” said Mann.
“I want to be remember as a team that put in the work and showed how good they really could be,” said Barkovich.
