On her way home from practice one afternoon, Freedom softball coach Michele Laubach happened to stop by Camel’s Hump Farm on Santee Mill Rd., and what started as curiosity ended as a Patriot team-building event.

“Due to COVID-19 and not being able to have our usual team end-of-the-year party in our school cafeteria, we had to get creative, and with 10 seniors on the team, we wanted to do something special,” said Coach Laubach.

Freedom’s softball team met at Camel’s Hump Farm on June 7 and filled a time capsule with their East Penn Conference championship medal, their team picture, and five answered questions apiece about their life 10 years from now.

“The plan is in 10 years we reunite this team and unearth the time capsule to read the notes,” Laubach said.

The Pates buried the time capsule and placed a home plate on top in a location where the team designed a Wiffle ball area where youth can play when they visit the farm.

“Our wood shop teacher, Mr. John Harvey, is helping build benches for the Wiffle ball field, and I will return this summer to finish the project,” Laubach said. “The girls painted a scoreboard, and Matison Piripavel named the field “Covenant Corner” after the five team covenants we decide on every year. This year’s team covenants were respect, commitment, team, hard work, and mental toughness.”

The team also participated in goat yoga, led by Amanda Kostalis, a teacher at Freedom. The goat was a big part of the Patriots’ locker room this season as the coaching staff posted a goat climbing various obstacles. A few players joined the fun when they placed a picture of Coach Laubach’s face on the goat. The Pates looked forward to this every day in the locker room, but no one ever confessed to adding Laubach’s picture.

“When I step back and look at what was accomplished and created with this team and at Freedom, it is such a humbling, rewarding experience,” said Laubach. “Almost all the players attended and my only hope is this was just as rewarding for the players as it was for the coaches to witness. My two varsity coaches, Lauren Frederick and Jack Roman, and I work very hard to establish this culture, but we couldn’t do it without the student athletes who show up every day and put the work in. I’m grateful for each and every opportunity to teach and coach them.”