Payton Chacon; RHS Fastpitch Senior Commits to WWU - By Brooklyn Boyce
The Richland High School softball program was specifically blessed with the 2025 group of athletes. The raw talent and passion set fire to the dirt of Columbia Playfields. For this senior class, their center fielder, Payton Chacon, shines extra bright. This lefty slapper just committed to continue her softball career at Western Washington University. Payton broke down the steps for me to sign your name. Her voyage was not all smooth sailing, yet inspiring for all.
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| Photo: Mason Metcalf and Reign Sports Performance |
The foundation of Payton’s softball journey is unpacking who she is as a person inside and out. This star athlete grew up in the small town of West Richland. Those close to Chacon would describe her as kind to all and constantly in high spirits. Having good character and a well-rounded life set this athlete up for success when the road to commitment got rocky. Payton will be majoring in elementary education and minoring in psychology.
Starting in 8th grade, Payton’s coaches had her searching out colleges of interest and emailing them. Chacon was fond of putting herself out there for coaches to see. This was the turning point of Payton deciding she would do anything in her power to get herself the recognition she deserved, an athletic scholarship.
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| Photo: Mason Metcalf |
Joining a conditioning and strength group was the following action. She joined Reigh Sports Performance to emphasize getting faster and stronger. To rise above the other athletes competing against her, she knew being her fittest and most athletic self would put her at an advantage. Her Angels team also increased the amount of practice the team had as the team aged. As soon as Chacon hit High School, 2-3 practices ranged from 2-6 hours each per week. These long practices would often fall on school dances, football games, early Saturday mornings, and any other event a teenager would not want to miss.
Along with the emailing, there were more steps to getting recruited. Payton spent a lot of her weekends and money at show-case college camps. She traveled to schools like Boise State University, the University of Washington, Western Washington University, and more. As easy as it sounds, Payton explained it was hard not to get discouraged. The best of the best attended these camps to fight for a glimpse of a coach's attention. All while doing this, the emailing had to stay consistent as well. The inconvenience of these tasks was not ideal, but thankfully, for Payton, it all paid off.
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| Photo: Mason Metcalf |
Senior year for Chacon was special. She finally received multiple offers to move forward with her academic and athletic career. As said, Western Washington was the winner. This Division 2 public university is located in Bellingham, Washington. This school stuck out to Chacon. “I chose WWU because of their great Elementary Education program. When I visited, I loved the area. Western is located 30 minutes away from the Canadian border and has lots of nature around the area, which is very important to me.” Payton informed us. Choosing a school with living interest and education bonuses is very important when choosing where to further your education. Many athletes get lost in the division level or plausibility of their sports team when choosing where to play. Payton will thank her future self when she finds a home with attributes she loves. A bonus to the beautiful location of WWU is their advanced softball program. Just because the school is not D1”, they are damn good. The girls softball team took 2nd place at the NCAA Division 2 championship. Payton’s skills will complement the level of the softball program at WWU pleasantly. Lastly, Western emphasizes a balance of school and sports. Coach Sheryl informed Payton that education comes before athletics. The sad truth is some sports teams set schooling on the back burner. Western will ensure Chacon she will have time and resources for all her education worries.
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| Photo: Tony Jimenez |
The path to success in softball takes lots of devoted time and sacrifices. As a younger athlete, it comes with more ease to make choices in favor of your sport rather than devoting your schedule to other hobbies. For most athletes they get hit with a wave of burnout at some point in their life. The feeling of hatred towards a game they once only could feel love towards. The craving to spend time anywhere but on the field. Maintaining a balanced life is not easy, but it is key to not drowning in the exhaustion of the game. Chacon was able to present me with her secret to combatting athletic burnout. “My parents helped me out a lot. Whenever I started feeling burnt out, I was able to communicate with them so I could take breaks when necessary.” Payton’s mom, Julie Chacon, has a degree in Psychology. With her knowledge of mental health as well as her thoughtful parenting tactics, she understands Payton’s worries. I was able to ask Mrs. Chacon the question, “How, as a parent, did you feel and act upon your child coming to you with feelings of athletic burnout?”¨I wasn’t surprised when Payton told me she was burnt out.” Payton’s mom explained, “Softball is played competitively almost all year with very few breaks. I understood why and supported her as much as possible, encouraged her to advocate for herself and say no when she needed to. Burnout can happen in all aspects of your life, and the important thing I wanted her to know is that it’s okay to take breaks, set boundaries, and be honest with how she’s feeling so we can support her in whatever decisions she makes.” If more parents of athletes could empathize with kids' feelings of burnout, maybe we would lose less stellar athletes to the pit of weariness.
Payton closes out her questioning with a significant piece of advice,” Don’t get discouraged during recruitment. Trust the process and be persistent with what you want.” Chacon is Richland’s walking proof that hard work, dedication, and self-advocacy can take you a long way.
