FAIRVIEW, Ala. – Fairview senior Josie Earl has been playing softball for nine years and one of her favorite parts of the experience was making so many friends along the way. In this interview Josie shared some of her favorite memories from her playing career and her time spent in school.
“My favorite memory is from my freshman year, when we went to the beach during spring break to play a tournament,” Earl said. “It was so amazing to know that no matter what, I always had someone who had my back, or there was always a shoulder I could lean my head on when I needed it. I learned to come out of my shell and to live more in the moment.”
Josie played under some great coaches at Fairview, and she soaked up as much from as she could from them.
“They were tough on me, because I know they only wanted the best for me. I learned how to be a good teammate, a good friend, and hopefully, one day in the future, a good mother,” Earl said. “I will miss my team the most. We all got along so great. I have been a part of other teams before in different sports, but with this team, my teammates have truly felt like sisters to me.”
Josie talked about some of her favorite games that she played in as well.
“One of my favorite games that I took part in was a tournament game against Holt, my sophomore year. That game was so laid back and we were having a fun time, playing any position we wanted to. The Holt team was such a good sport, and their fans had a lot of fun with it as well. That made the experience even better. My other favorite game that I was a part of was the last round of a tournament at Hanceville against Hanceville. We were all cheering and hyped up. It was a tough game, but it was probably one of the most fun games I have been part of. We won the game and got the trophy. That was the best part of the game.,” she said. “What I will remember the most about playing with this team is probably Senior Night. We didn’t get to play our game because of rain, but that didn’t stop us from having fun. It had been raining so much from the previous days, and the field was flooded. We went to the outfield, and we all got to dive on our field together for the last time.”
She got to play alongside a lot of teammates that she’s been playing with for years and in that time they’ve built a bond that Josie believes will never broken.
“Most of us have been playing softball together since the fourth grade, so they are some of my best friends. It was an honor to get to finish out my last year with them. They truly bring out the best of me, and I know that I can trust them with anything. They will help me if I ever need anything,” she said. “My favorite high school memories were homecoming week and all the football games. I got to dress up and hang out with my friends.”
Fairview will always be a special place for Josie, and she’ll miss getting ready for another year in August. In addition to softball, she participated in several clubs at school as well.
“The community made it such a special place. The people around here have so much spirit and peace for our school. It made me feel wanted here,” she said. “I will always remember all my homecoming and dress up days. Something I will miss the most is getting to be a part of all of my different clubs I was in and getting to do service hours with my friends. I was in the Student Council, Honor Society, Key Club, Yearbook Staff, and I was the Aggie Ambassador. It was an amazing feeling being a part of something bigger than myself and getting to help people. I learned to put people before myself and to always be grateful for what I have. My advice to (students returning in August) would be to not hold back and be yourself. You don’t get a second chance, so do everything and anything you want to do.”
Josie earned a scholarship from the Cullman County Youth Volleyball Association and talked about that experience. She hopes to be a role model and inspire younger kids in her community to work for what they want to achieve.
“I felt honored that the association saw my hard work and that it didn’t go unnoticed. I hope I have inspired so many kids to be active in their community and that it pays off in the long run. I want to be remembered as someone that was always happy, was able to put a smile on people’s faces and for always being there for someone when they needed me,” Earl said. “It was so important to be that role model for so many kids. I wanted to be that person that they always came to when they had a problem and to either make them feel better about the situation, or to just lighten the mood,” she said. “He has played a huge role in my life. Without Him, I wouldn’t have gotten to do everything I have done. I thank Him every day for the opportunities He has put in my life. Proverbs 11:27 is my favorite Bible verse. What this verse means to me is to always give people second chances and try to find the good in them. Everyone has good in them, and you might be the person to help them find it, so always be kind to someone.”
Copyright 2025 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
