Being a part of any sport for such a long time kind of shapes who you are and how you even define yourself. As softball players, playing competitive softball was a big part of our lives. These are the things we constantly reminisce on ever since we stopped playing. It's even weird to say that we stopped playing, because it has always been such a big part of our lives and we know it still is deep down. It has seriously built who we are as individuals, and not being a part of the game daily makes us appreciate all the hard practices, strike outs, and errors after all.

1. Being Active

After my softball career, I found myself sitting around a lot. I had NO idea how to get in shape because usually practice would get the job done. I actually had to start going to the gym. Yeah, that was weird. I kinda miss my coaches telling us to do the workouts we hated, because now I have to motivate myself.

2. Tournaments

I personally miss all aspects of traveling to play in tournaments. I miss the car rides with my dad, hanging out with my team at the hotel, and most of all, playing. Some people may say they don't miss those awful double-headers in the scorching sun in the middle of August, but you're lying if you say you don't miss the team and the memories you made during the tournaments.

3. The Dirt

The smell. The mess. Under our nails, in our hair, on our face, arms, pants, and most of all, in our cleats. What other way is there to play softball without getting seriously dirty? My dad always said, if you don't have dirt on your pants, you didn't practice hard enough.

4. Chants!

There is nothing better than getting terrible voices to harmonize to unify your team but mostly annoy the other team. Chanting and yelling is now embedded in who we are. Because in the real world, girls don't like to chant. And guys are slightly scared of us when we go to baseball games and talk complicated baseball talk and get annoyed at stupid plays and strike outs...and yell. So boys, you'll either really enjoy taking us out to sporting events, or really be embarrassed. It's just who we are.

5. That feeling when you made an awesome hit

You know, when the bat hits the ball so perfectly that you didn't even feel that you even hit it. You know it's a great hit when your swing effortlessly flows through the center of the ball on the right part of your bat.

6. Seeing your favorite pitch while you're up at bat

My favorite pitches were low and outside. Seeing a pitch like that was the equivalent to seeing triple chocolate cake on the dessert table. You know you immediately are going to go for it, and you always expect a great hit from that pitch.

7. The dugout

A little nest where your team talks sh*t about the opposing team. As sportsmanship-like we are, we are ALL so guilty. But we love it.

8. A nice play

Softball is such an individual sport. As much as it is a team sport, it's a game full of individual hits and plays. And you know when a ground ball is heading your way, it's your time to shine. Ground balls in practice are one thing, but when you're in the game there's always that thought lingering in your head... but what if I mess up in front of all these people and screw my team over? So after you make an awesome play in a game, it's just so rewarding.

9. Bat talk

Can I try your bat to see how I like it? Who's bat is better? Are Demarinis better than Eastons? Maybe. Eastons better than Louisville Slugger? Who knows. I always always against even weighted bats and I still hold to that to this day. But you know what, everyone is different. And now us retired softball players don't even know the bats that are popular now and that makes us sad because we used to know everything about all the bats!

10. Softball talk

Why didn't Jenny just throw it to third to get the lead runner? Did she forget that there was only 1 out? Silly Jenny...better not happen again or else we'll consider as a team that someone else should be put in. Get your sh*t together Jenny.

11. Having a reason to be intense

We're intense, passionate people in general, and softball definitely gave us a reason and a place to express that. The real world isn't used to seeing intense girls, but wait until they meet us.

11. Saying that we still play

"Do you play any sports"

"Well you see, I will always play softball, I'm just retired at the moment..."

We HATE these conversations! It makes us sound like we're not-dedicated ex-athletes who were bad at the sport they played but pretend they used to be good!! No! We we're good, we just ran out of opportunities.

The list seriously goes on and on. Once a softball player, always a softball player. And I'm not talking about if you were just in little league. When you're a softball player, you know it, and it defines you. Even though you've stopped playing, you'll never forget how to play the game, or how to throw, or how to swing a bat. You are a softball player.