Personal Narrative: My Involvement With Softball

Softball has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. As a little kid my dad would teach me how to hit in the backyard with a Wiffleball bat that was taller than me. As the years passed, I started to fall in love with the sport more than I imagined possible. From little league to travel ball and all the way through varsity high school ball, it has always been a huge part of my life. Most people don’t understand the sport or how someone can be so engulfed in every aspect of it. However, they don’t get to experience the life lessons that this sport of extreme highs and lows teaches the player. It teaches you patience. It teaches you that imperfection is normal. It teaches you that things can turn around in the blink of an eye and most importantly, it teaches you that all good things must come to an end.

It is now February 8, 2015, I am 15 years old, and a freshman at Lutheran High School of Indianapolis. It’s the beginning of the softball season, my first year playing high school softball. I am so excited to play with the older girls on my team because I am 6 feet tall and praying that someone will be as tall as me so I’m not the odd tall one in the picture. Also the reason I’m excited it is the first year I won’t have my Dad as a coach, but also sad that I won’t have them there chewing my ear about how I screwed up on a play but he was always there to pick me right back

I enjoy helping others pursue their passions and achieve their goals. Softball is a sport that has taught me many important life lessons including teamwork, leadership, and dedication. As softball is a sport that has taught me so much, I spent several weeks of my high school summers volunteering at softball camps. It was always rewarding to see the young girls discover their passion for the game just as I did when I was their age.

Some people think that softball is just a game. A game where the blood, sweat, and tears do not have meaning. On the other hand, the blood, sweat, and tears have more meaning than some people think. It is part of softball. A place where the people always have my back. The place where I met my two best friends. I have learned discipline, life lessons, and leadership skills from softball. It is a place I can shut out real life problems. Softball is more than just a game; it is my life.

Softball ruled over my life from the time I was five years of age until I was fourteen. According to the people who had watched one of my games, I played first base phenomenally and had some wonderful at bats when I focused on centering my power to hit the ball with all the force I could muster. Unfortunately and fortunately, my father coached every team I played on from T-ball to fast-pitch. At every game, he observed my mechanics and hand-eye coordination, and this pulled memories of watching my brother hit numerous home runs and make game-winning outs from his mind. On nearly all of the car rides home, he would tell me “You remind me so much of Dusty. I see him the way you throw, in the way you hit the ball, and the way you present

Each girl must be at the top of her mental game to deal with a bad game or a hard one and this doesn't always come naturally. To achieve this type of mental toughness the players train for years and years to achieve it. This raises the cognitive responses in each girl and helps them to act more mature in their everyday lives as well. It is a growth process that never stops for a softball

I have been playing softball ever since I was seven years old, but I wouldn’t say it’s my priority. I enjoy playing and spending time with my team, but I’m very different than most of my teammates, who dropped everything

In the summer on July 22, 2017 my 14u USA Pride softball team left for the 2017 Softball World Series tournament in Crown Point Indiana. The team and I was super excited to be able to play in such a big tournament in a different state. My parents and I left one day before everyone else did just so we didn't have to get up super early the next morning. We had one day to ourselves before our first game the following day. We had the late game that was at one in the afternoon for our first game and I was super nervous. I am lead off batter so that is kinda frightening because all the pitchers are super good and our team hasn’t seen this kind of pitching before, because in Michigan where I live some people say we look

Softball brought excitement in my life by displaying my physical abilities. First, it is very important for me to practice fundamentals so that when it is time to play my mind is already prepared on what I suppose to do. Practice makes perfect! By practicing you will be successful when it matters. I learned that being in good physical condition will help your performance as well. Instead of being winded by consistent movement, being healthy will give you energy and boost your endurance on

“Softball isn't a one woman sport, there's 11 other girls who become your sisters. And don't forget that you win as a team and lose as a team.” - Anonymous. This quote really speaks to me because my favorite part about softball is meeting new people and making new friends! If you play softball or ever played softball, you may have or will get many cuts or bruises but the experience is amazing! It is really awesome when you catch the ball for the winning score or get the winning home run! The best part is if you mess up your team wouldn’t be mad they would actually still appreciate you and help each other to keep fighting! Learning how to play or if you are years into playing it is super fun! Softball is a great team experience even if it’s hard to keep up

I started playing tee-ball at the age of five and ever since, softball has been a significant part of my life. I devoted summers to playing travel ball. I made the varsity high school team as a freshman. I’ve played every position and hit in every spot in the lineup. There is almost no place I’d rather be than on a softball field.

The story of how I fell in love with the game of softball is a story like no other. It was not love at first sight, that’s for sure. I didn’t pick up a bat and instantly fall in love. I didn’t eagerly press my face to the glass of the car window as we passed the high school softball fields and watch the older kids play while wishing the day that I can sprint around those bases come sooner. I didn’t ask Santa to bring me a softball glove and leave it under our Christmas tree instead of a Barbie doll. It wasn’t something I just knew I was destined to do. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

My hard work not only helped my team, but helped myself. Softball taught me that having effort and ambition will make you successful. I learned that my own hard work didn't only benefit me, but it benefitted my teammates around me. I also was forced to leave my comfort zone. Looking back, my decision to play softball didn't seem like a big deal then. But without it, I don't think I would the hard working, competitive person that I am. I have learned the valuable skills of teamwork and humility. Softball shaped me into the person that I am

Softball provides each player with different life lessons. One life lesson that a player can learn is that practice makes better. Also they

In my past, 6 years ago, this sport came into my life and it was the best choice of my life to take. Every year I was developing a positive attitude towards my coaches, teammates, and other players around me. Being a positive person towards this sport has made me a good person outside of this sport as well. This made a better catcher also because if one of my players made a mistake I would always use this positive attitude to help support them and pick them up. Using this positive attitude; many teammates, parents, and coaches learn from me that the game is only a game to have fun too. From having this positive attitude brings me to my present self in this sport.