Disclaimer: This is a piece written by one of my very dearest friends! I am so proud of who she is not only as a student-athlete but also as genuine and kind hearted person. After a little convincing I talked her into sharing this piece because it was so relatable not only to me but I am sure to many other athletes in her same position.
By: Ashley Albright
Adrenaline - The body’s most potent and useful hormone is used in times of fear, excitement, and pain.
Most athletes and daredevils live to feel the rush of adrenaline coursing through their veins.
For me, this feeling is one of the reasons that I love playing softball.
Countless times I have been late in a game with my team behind as time for an amazing comeback dwindling.
This is when your veins fill with adrenaline, excitement, and even doubt.
Throughout my 14 years of playing softball, I have learned not only how to be a leader but also how to truly understand and value teamwork especially during experiences when my adrenaline is pumping.
As a catcher, I see the field from a much different perspective than any of my other teammates. I’m always in the spotlight and all eyes are on me and my pitcher. My job is not only to direct the team in what plays need to be run, but also to keep my pitcher levelheaded during one of the most intense and exciting parts of the game.
I have had to learn that because of my position a lot of the blame gets put on me for things that happen on that field, and I have to be able to take it.
My teammates look to me for direction and guidance because I’m supposed to be the one that knows what’s going on, and what needs to happen next.
Everyone says that catchers are supposed to be captains on the field and that's accurate.
We are supposed to be leaders and be able to tell everyone what they need to be doing at every given moment, but sometimes we fail.
Looking around at loaded bases knowing that your team is behind with very little time left in the game, and knowing that your pitcher is struggling not only physically, but mentally is something that a catcher must be able to deal with.
Despite all the times that I’ve been in this situation, the adrenaline still courses through my veins like an icy rush to the point where it’s almost like the high that you just want to live from forever.
The feeling of knowing that I’m in charge during one of the most important moments of the game is a rush.
The only way that I’ve learned how to become a leader is by having lived through this and learning from the mistakes I’ve made.
One bad play...
One wrong action...
One negative thought...
One wrong decision could lead to my team losing.
BUT if I make the right decision and my team ends up with the win, I still might not get the credit. Only the people who truly understand the sport will know that I am one of the reasons we won the game.
More importantly, just because I may be "the leader" on the field doesn’t mean that I don’t need eight other people working with me in order to make this game end in the way that we want it to.
Softball is without a doubt a team sport and if you take away the other people around me,
I’m just a single person.
We have all heard the saying “There’s no I in team."
When the entire team is behind me in all the choices that I’ve made in the game, that’s when I fully realize how important it teamwork is.
The people around me are there whenever I fall and need someone to help me back up,
they are there whenever I’ve had a bad at bat or an off game.
Most importantly they are there when they’re needed the most.
One single person cannot win a game no matter how many home runs they hit, or how many outs they make singlehandedly. It requires a whole team to persevere to get the win.
As a catcher, I rely so much on my teammates because without them I would have nobody in the field, nobody pitching to me, and I would just be a single person sitting on the field alone.
Throwing and catching has to have more than one person, and having teammates there is another one of the reasons that softball is absolutely one my favorite things. No matter where I am I’ve got built-in friends who are going understand me, and relate to things so much easier because they understand what I’m going through, what I’m talking about, and what it feels like.
Teamwork on a softball field translates into everyday life when you have coworkers who you don’t want to be around but get put on a project together, or when you have to work with others to accomplish a goal that you alone will not be able to achieve.
The things that softball has taught me is beneficial to how I will be able to function in my life after graduating college, as well as after I get a job.
Leadership and teamwork are tools that I can use in everyday aspects of my life.
Because of what softball has taught me over the past 14 years I will be able to be a better person in my everyday life.
