Softball is an intense sport, no doubt about it. It takes skill, grit, strength, perseverance, countless hours of practice, and so much more. It also happens to be the sport I dedicated most of my life too thus far. What started as a small tee-ball team of little girls running the wrong way around the bases transformed into a competitive and intense focal point in my life.
As for most athletes these days, softball was no longer just a game played for fun and a way to be with friends. Softball was a commitment to a game that consumed all of my time, pushed my limits, and was a very real part of life. Sports are no longer about getting a team together to mess around; it's about winning and becoming the best athlete you can be.
I was lucky enough to grow up in an era where sports were still recreation leagues just for fun but transformed into select and club teams as I grew older. Unlike athletes now who are essentially starting their careers in club teams at a young age, I have experience with both and have learned a lot about myself and life from my numerous years playing softball.
The most important lesson I learned from my years of select softball is that if you aren't having fun, you shouldn't be doing it. Obviously, there are some things in life that just simply cannot be fun. However, many of the things that aren't fun are things that we do not have any control over; the things we do have control over in life should be fun, exciting, and things we want to do.
I also learned that constructive criticism, no matter how hard to hear, is a good thing. It can be tough to hear you need to improve on certain things, but I realized it's better to know and begin working on it rather than continuing to be a lesser version of yourself. Along with that, I also learned how to adapt quickly and work under pressure. I think one of the biggest benefits of sports, especially games like softball that involve critical thinking in a short period of time, is that you learn how to think on your feet and not only for yourself, but with an entire team as well.
Overall, softball taught me more than I ever realized. I learned how to do random things like braid hair, spit sunflower seeds further than you could imagine, and throw six different pitches, but I also learned how to make long lasting friendships, grow as a person, and understand more about life than what you would think you can learn from a game. I owe a lot to my softball career and everyone apart of it, and I hope one day I can be on the field again teaching others the same lessons I learned from the sport we all love.
