The definition of a softball player, according to Urban Dictionary is, "a girl who, once she steps onto the field, is transformed from 'daddy’s little girl' to a fierce, unrelenting competitor who will stop at nothing in order to win a game. Characteristically with dirt across her face, ratted sweaty hair, bloody knees and dirt stained socks and uniform. She's a diligent hard worker who knows the real meaning of teamwork, spirit and fearing nothing. Contradictory, she personifies all this while she still wears cute, color coordinated hair ribbons and sleeve stripes."
Growing up, softball was my first sport and became my everyday life very quickly. I blame it on my sister, since she played travel ball and then high school ball, and I was dragged along to every practice, game, and tournament. I cannot be mad though because I love the game myself. At the age of four, I began playing on our recreational league team called the Ladybugs. After falling in love with the sport, I continued playing for the league until the age of eight when I played on a local travel team. It was a year later that I realized softball was my passion and was the one thing that made me the happiest, so I began to play travel ball for the Cincy Doom organization. Since then, I have continued to play and even earned the opportunity to play softball in college for Ohio Northern University.
Before I get too far, let me tell you what softball really means to the girl out on that field. It starts as something fun to do, a way to stay active and one of those things parents have you do when they have your best interest in mind. Once you hit a certain age, it becomes much more. You create a bond with the girls you play with and it never goes away. To this day, I can remember many memories made on car rides, in hotels, during rain delays and most importantly on the field. In those moments, you do not take the time to realize how important they are and just how big of a moment they will become to you. This does not happen until you no longer play the game you love so much.
Unfortunately, this came a few years earlier than I would have wanted, but life has priority over sports. While at Ohio Northern University I got to be part of, as far as I am concerned, the best softball program I could have chosen. This was cut short by the realization that I would be graduating early and needed to put more time and effort into my studies and not my sport. Giving up softball has been one of the hardest decisions in my life and still is hard for me. I have been asked many times if I miss softball or if I wish I would have continued to play and maybe postpone my graduation date. I think about these two questions every day and I always come up with the same response. I do miss softball; I miss my teammates throughout the years, I miss my coaches and all the times they yelled at me, but most of all I miss the feeling of leaving a tournament covered in dirt, sweat, bruises, most of the time blood and with a nice tan and sore muscles. If I got to do this past year over again, I would have still given it up. The sport and memories will always be a part of me, but there comes a time when everyone has to give it up, and my future came before softball for me, which meant having to stop playing competitively.
Softball is a sport that a girl falls in love with at an early age and never truly falls out of love with. The decision to stop playing is the hardest any girl will face, but they will know that in their heart the game never leaves and will always be with them throughout life. I could not have asked for a better experience and career and I would like to thank all those who made it possible. I may no longer play, but nobody can ever take the sport out of me.
