Hannah Benway, lighting up the prairie. (John Fisken photos)
Firing rockets on the diamond.
Hannah Benway ran a billion miles last spring.
As a newcomer to the Coupeville High School softball squad, one of her duties was to head out of the dugout in pursuit of foul balls that ended up lodged in the nearby field or under parked cars at the trailer park across the street.
Usually all the younger players split the duties, but Benway was too quick, and efficient, for them all.
A softball would go the wrong way and a millisecond later (if that) Hannah would come flying around the outside of the dugout, scattering fans as she sprinted by, epic grin on her face.
She was uncanny in tracking down every last wayward orb, but what was even more remarkable was how much fun she seemed to be having.
Instead of treating it as a duty she had to accomplish, a right of passage for a younger player, she embraced it the same way she embraced every moment she had in a softball uniform — full-tilt.
“I told her some of the other girls can share the job, but she just looks at me and says, nope, I got it,” CHS coach Kevin McGranahan said with a chuckle. “Great kid!”
Coupeville has a roster deep in softball sluggers who play select ball, young women with considerable experience and skill, so Benway, as a bench player, didn’t get much playing time.
When she did, she rose to the moment with the same bright spirit and seize-the-day attitude, and was hailed with the Most Improved award at season’s end.
Whether working with the school’s cheerleaders, or excelling in her non-sports life, where she’s a singer and guitarist, audio visual tech and classroom brainiac, Benway approaches everything with an open heart and a welcoming smile.
In a world where people spend a lot of time fighting, she is a beacon of hope and light — a kind, considerate, sweet-natured young woman who lights up the prairie.
Hannah is tougher than you might think at first, fiercely loyal to her family and friends, but warm and open to all.
She is one of the best we have, and I hope as she celebrates her birthday today, she fully realizes how highly others think of her.
Happy cake day, Miss Benway.
May it, and every day, be worthy of your awesomeness.
