Title: Motivation in Motion: The Strength of Arabella Mariuz
Motivation. The internal strength and will power to push yourself forward, always reaching for one percent better. Someone who is motivated in life will push themselves to reach new heights, even if it means asking for help. Someone who fits this definition of motivated is Arabella Mariuz.
Arabella Mariuz (known as Bella) is an 11th-grade player on the Hamilton Hawkeyes Varsity Softball team. She started playing softball in the winter of 2022, her freshman year. Over the years, she has played strong and always kept moving forward towards success.
Looking over the years, we have seen amazing progress and strength come from Mariuz. Her dedication and determination both on and off the field show how great her character is. Mariuz’s teammate and long-time friend, Kelsey Mersman, showed us how much effort Mariuz puts into getting better every day, and what an amazing impact she has on her team.
“I feel she’s just very encouraging when we’re on the field,” Mersman says. “She doesn’t say much, but her actions show that she cares a lot. But out of the field, especially if you’re close with her and you know her, she’s always there to reach out and show her support and give advice.”
Talking to Bella myself, I got a deeper dive into how friendly and caring she is. Asking her if she ever thought she would be where she was today, she had this to say.
“Honestly, no.” She laughs, “ When Coach Behnke asked me to play softball my freshman year, I didn’t think I’d be good, or I did think if had potential. I decided, why not try something new?”
Arabella Mariuz is one of the most motivated and persistent players I have ever had the honor of meeting. It takes years of dedication to be as strong as Mariuz. Not just physically, but mentally as well.
Motivation. Bella is the embodiment of motivation. Her internal drive to keep pushing forward should be an inspiration to all of us. She will keep pushing herself and others towards the path to success. The internal strength within reaching for that one percent better every time, that is who Arabella Mariuz is.
“I would like to be remembered as someone fun to be around and good to be a teammate with. Someone who is never going to put you down, and is always going to push themselves and push my teammates a little bit harder.” – Arabella (Bella) Mariuz.