The Optimist vs. The Gothic: local high school newspaper, yearbook staffs duel in annual baseball match

The sounds of journalism: the snap of a shutter, the scratch of a pencil, the relentless clicking of a keyboard and the crack of a softball bat.

Well, that’s at least true for the students of Bloomington High School South’s yearbook and newspaper staffs.

The two publications have faced each other in an annual softball game for the past six years, and the newspaper has won every time, including Friday’s match.

“There’s a lot of trash talking a month or so before the game” said Kathleen Mills, former Indiana Daily Student desk editor and now the adviser for The Optimist newspaper, the student publication at BHSS.

Mayor Mark Kruzan, who also worked for the IDS while attending IU, was present to throw the first pitch of the game Friday.

Once a more formal awards ceremony and year-end celebration, the softball game now provides an alternative way for the school’s two publications to end each school year. 

It was a hot day in Bryan Park as the 43 students, along with Mills and her counterpart for The Gothic yearbook Kelsey Rigdon, played a loosely regulated game of softball. Students cheered for their teammates and the occasional friend who happened to be playing for the other team.

After about five innings, the game ended as the newspaper staff won 11-8.
Soon, a student ran onto the field with a gold spray-painted typewriter that served as the competition’s trophy.

After the customary “good game” high fives, the players made their way to a nearby shelter where food and drinks had been set up for the remainder of the celebration.

“That was the most competitive you guys have ever been,” Mills told Rigdon.

As the new yearbook adviser and Bloomington High School South English teacher, Rigdon found herself coaching the yearbook team of 19 students for the first time. 

“We did a great job for having zero practice,” Rigdon said.

Mills said her team had an advantage. The school newspaper staff doesn’t have as much work to do at the end of the year as the yearbook’s staff.

“I will be the first to say that they have more work to do until the end of June, and we put out our last issue today, so we had some practice time,” Mills said.