Softball. Not just a sport.

As I step out onto the field, a sense of power comes over me. I feel as if everything around me, is waiting for my first move I am about to make. When I reach the circle and put my cleet on the rubber, I think of nothing execpt the ball in my hand and the pitch I am about to throw. It's between a fast-ball, drop, rise, curve, or change-up. When it leaves my hand and soars to its destination, I anticipate what will happen next. Will she swing, will she hit it, or will she miss and the umpire behind calls strike one? As I wait the mere 4 or 5 seconds, I realize she swung, and missed. I throw again, same thing, strike two. Just one more throw and she's out. I grip the ball with all my might and let it fly. Strike three. There's no greater feeling than hearing the umpire yell behind the batter, "You're out." All the happiness inside me comes out as my teammates and fans cheer loudly.

As you may have already guessed, I am talking about softball. I have been playing softball ever since I was a little girl, about 8 years old. I have loved the sport ever since. When I first started playing softball, I would have never guessed I would become a pitcher. Let alone, the picther of our high school varsity team, freshman through senior year. I always imagined myself playing short-stop, but that all changed when I was asked to give pitching a try. I was in about the sixth grade. I said, "Sure why not, I'll give it a try." It pretty much stuck ever since then. Right then, I had become a pitcher, and I was so excited to start learning and practing everthing pitching required.

As I got older, I practiced and practiced. When I reached high school I became the pitcher of the varsity team. Being a pitcher is very hard work. Learing the different pitches, and learning which one to throw at the right time and taking in the factor of where the batter is standing in the box. You have to be in control and aware of everything around you. Your teammates will look to you for guidance and support. You also have to be ready for the unexpected. Once that ball leaves your hand, you have to be ready for it to come right back. That has happened to me plenty of times during my softball seasons, and it makes you be on your toes throughout the whole game.

Like I said before, being a pitcher is very hard work. I usually stayed late with my pitching coach after practice every day to go over more things, show me how to improve, and do more drills. Most every weekend I was out on the field practing, not to mention practicing during practice. But what made me practice so much was my love for it, and how much fun I had playing. I loved being a pitcher, every part of it.

The person who introduced me to pitching was one of my good friends' dad. He was the one who taught me everything I know about pitching and softball for that matter. He believed in me to pitch, so therefore, I believed in myself. If it wasn't for him, I would not have found out that I had the potential to become a good pitcher. Throughout the years he became not just a coach to me, but a good friend and role model. He taught me so much just about life itself also. I really can't thank him enough for everything he has done for me. He made the whole experience fun and exciting and wanting me to learn more and more. I owe all my awards and acknowledgments that I recieved throughout high school to him even though he claims it was all me. That by far is not true, yes I had to put in all the hard work and determination, but he taught me everything.

So as you can see, softball was not just a sport to me, it was more of an experience that made me stronger as a person. It taught me responsibility, hardwork, dissapointment, teamwork, and how to have faith in yourself. By learning these things, not just through softball, it has helped me overcome some diffuculties my life has brought me. I am also very proud of myself for sticking with it and believing that I could accomplish becoming a good pitcher.

Now that I am in college and don't have the oppurtunity to continue playing, I still find the time to go and throw the ball around. I miss playing softball with all my teammates and will miss it for the rest of my life. But having those years in the back of my head, brings a smile to my face. I will never forget playing softball and I will never stop thanking my pitching coach and my coaches for everything they have taught me.