New rivalry doubles the fun

The Vana residence was a house divided in the days leading up to Thursday’s season-opening softball game between Elkhorn High and Elkhorn South.

In the scheme of things, it wasn’t a big divide. No one was talking secession or breakaway republics.

But it was a new experience for the family of five. And it’s one they’re likely to share with a number of Elkhorn-area families before the school year is over, now that the Elkhorn Public Schools have opened a second high school.

You see, Thursday night’s game put oldest daughter Alexis, a senior at Elkhorn High, on the opposite side of the field from her younger sister Nicole, a freshman at Elkhorn South. Alexis started at first base, Nicole at second base. And in all the years the two have played softball, it was the first time they’d played against each other.

Mom Noreen Vana chose neutrality from the start. She decided to wear the colors of both schools.

But dad David Vana jokingly told his daughters in the days leading up to the matchup that he hadn’t decided whom to cheer for, that he was holding out for the best offer. “So far, a pan of brownies has it,” he joked.

In reality, he said, the girls knew that he’d be cheering for them both. “They know me well enough,” he said.

Vana couldn’t do a lot of cheering anyway. He was in the press box Thursday, calling the game over the public address system.

Off the high school field, though, he’s been his daughters’ coach for years. He coached Alexis’ select softball team for the past four years. Now he coaches Nicole’s select team. Youngest sister Lauren, a seventh-grader at Elkhorn Ridge Middle School, also plays softball.

“We are definitely a softball family,” Vana said. “It’s just kind of what my girls got into.”

Left to himself, he’s more of a football fan. “If you would have told me seven years ago that I’d watch 200 softball games in person in a single calendar year, I would have told you you were nuts,” he said. “I tell my friends in March, I’ll see you in October.”

But the girls love it, and the family rolls with it.

“They love the competition, they love being outside, they love the activity,” Vana said. “And they also love the camaraderie. They’ve been fortunate. They’ve been on some great teams.”

The sisters, however, weren’t sure what to make of playing against each other, he said. Alexis is glad the school district opted to keep all seniors at Elkhorn High for their last year no matter where they live. And Nicole is jazzed about the new school.

“If we were given the choice,” David Vana said, “we wouldn’t have done anything different.”

Nicole, he said, also is excited about the opportunity to start for a varsity team as a freshman. But Alexis told her mom that she did regret not being able to play on the same team as her sister. Because of their age difference, they’ve never played together as teammates.

They did, however, share some parts of the experience.

Big sister Alexis helped her mom shop for a dressy game-day outfit for her younger sister, who isn’t as into clothes. While the Vanas were hosting a pregame dinner for the Elkhorn South team, some of the Elkhorn High players stopped over to pick up their new warm-up clothes — sweatshirts and such that they’ll need later in the season. Noreen Vana was handling such matters for the Elkhorn High team.

There’s also been a bit of pregame ribbing, in addition to David Vana’s joking. Because of their hitting styles and their playing positions, the sisters each were in a position to keep the other off the bases.

And indeed, they did. Big sister Alexis put little sister Nicole out twice, and Nicole got Alexis out once. In the end, Elkhorn High won, 2-0. Elkhorn South’s coach praised his team’s effort against a seasoned Elkhorn High team, Vana said. And Alexis sought out her sister to tell her what a good game it had been.

Contact the writer:

444-1223, julie.anderson@owh.com

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