Sometimes in life, you never know much one thing can give you until it's over.

Here are 5 things softball game me, and why I am forever grateful!

Forever Friends.

Mady, myself, Erica, Wendy, and Jordan.

Personal photo.

One major thing that I always was so grateful for while playing softball, was the amazing people that I met along the way. I made these bonds at the age of 10. To this day I still call these girls my sisters. When we were younger we were always with each other day in and day out. We shared many memories and championships together that I will never forget. As we grew up and went to college, we started talking less and less because our lives moved on. But, one thing that will never change is the fact that we will forever be sisters at heart. This game brought us together and for that, I am forever grateful for.

A Hard Worker Mentality.

Me getting ready to hit a bomb!

Personal photo

HARD WORK! I put so much time and effort into this sport. I played for teams that were 15 minutes away and teams that were almost 2 hours away. I always wanted to play with people who wanted to succeed just as much as me. I started playing this sport when I was 10 years old. At the age of 10, I was nowhere near being fluent in this sport. But, my dad wanted me to try out for a traveling team and somewhere along there, the coach for that team saw something in me and from there my journey begins. I had practices twice a week for 2 hours each. But, that doesn't mean I was not working hard outside of practice. In middle school, I played field hockey, basketball, and ran track while playing softball. Also, I was traveling 2 hours twice a week for practice. I was always at a field somewhere. In high school, I played field hockey and softball. Not as busy but that just meant I had more time to be in the gym running or doing something productive. In college, I had workouts at 5:30 a.m. Then, practice at 6:30 p.m. On top of that I had class. I was always pushing myself to be the best. This hard work on the field made me want to be better in the classroom and always get my best grade.

Your Supporters

My mom(Shannon) and my brother(Austin).

Personal photo

Like I said previously, I always had to be somewhere to be or something to do. My mother always made sure I was where I needed to be and that I always had a fan in the stands. When no one in my family could make it, I knew my mom was trying her best to be there. She is the reason why I could play on a team 2 hours away and make it there twice a week. My dad always made sure that I was giving everything I had and that my mind was in the right place. My brother probably doesn't think he had an impact on my athletic career, but without him, I wouldn't have worked as hard as I did. My brother from the moment he could walk was winning championship after championships in wrestling. I watched him win so many awards over my lifetime, that I couldn't possibly count. One reason that I always was working hard was that I saw him do it a ton of times. He was my inspiration. Mostly, I just wanted to be better than him! But, the only thing he has to know is that he motivated me, right? To my Nan and Peg, thank you for always making sure I had new cleats and that I always had the opportunity to attend camps. I am forever grateful for everyone that pushed me to be better and gave me the opportunities that I had.

So I am going to end on that because I could go on and on about all of the things softball gave me but I won't. Even though I no longer play this sport, I still have these strong characteristics to me! Thank you softball for all of these memories that will last forever and to all of the amazing people I met along the way! #21 Katie Wise