Unit 1 Peer Review DRAFT

         The sport of softball has been a community I am fully immersed in since the early age of five. As I recently retired from the sport this year, Ive been able to reflect and realize the lessons I’ve learned from softball and how it has shaped me into who I am today. 

I remember the first day I stepped onto the field. I didn't know any girls, had never picked up a bat or glove in my life, and was surrounded by girls who were more experienced than me. As a child, I struggled with extreme anxiety and lack of social confidence. So, being in an environment full of critical parents, coaches, and players, was extremely hard on me mentally. I quit softball after 4 seasons of playing. I had no hope in myself that I would ever be able to excel like the other girls, or become as talented as they were to play at intenser levels. 

After a year of not playing, my dad got a coaching position in my league. He convinced me this would be the best opportunity to advance and become comfortable in softball, as my dad would be my manager.

That season changed everything. I was able to master the basics of softball and add more critique to my basic understanding. From that day I stepped back onto the field, I never looked back, and continued to play the next eleven years of my life. I reached the highest level of competition I could find in Los Angeles.

To me, softball always seemed like just a sport I played for fun. I never truly realized the immense impacts it had on me, along with lessons it has taught me.  Softball has taught me the importance of leadership and teamwork, how to manage pressure in stressful situations, learn and bounce back from mistakes, and most importantly not to worry about what other people think of me. 

Softball has shown me the art of being a part of a team, a place where I can rely on others and others can rely on me. It is a community of individuals working towards a common goal for everyone's benefit. In a blog written about the benefits of teamworks, it says “Teamwork can increase cooperation among members as they learn from each other’s mistakes and triumphs.”

One of the hardest things to accept as an athlete is defeat and failure. It took me time as a player to develop into one that could bounce back from mistakes. For example, if a pop-fly was hit to me, a routine play, and I dropped it, I would never recover the entire game. The idea of this has made me strong and more resilient, as I have grasped the art of bouncing back from setbacks and maintaining focus and calmness in stressful situations.

I think the most important lesson softball has taught me is to not care what people think of me. No matter my level of skill, someone will always have something negative to say about my playing style. Whether it's my side arm, incorrect batting stance, inability to run fast, I have accepted the fact that nobody can ever be good enough for anyone. To the parent who told me 13 years ago, “GET OFF THE FIELD!”, has become my biggest motivation to prove that I am playing for myself and my team, not the people off the field. In a blog written and posted by Alicia Dallas, she claims that sports “teaches you to respect and accept others, including your teammates, your opponents, the officials, your coaches, and everyone involved in the sport.” This reiterates the idea that things won't always be fair or kind, but it's about what you do in response to these inconveniences.

Ultimately, becoming fluent in softball has impacted me as a person and how I respond to certain situations. My softball career didn't just take up all my homework time, but it taught me so many valuable lessons that I will continue to apply to all aspects of my life.

Works Cited

Posted by Alicia Dallas | 5sc    June 23, 2022. “The Benefits of Sports in the Lives of Children.” Boys & Girls Clubs of the Mississippi Delta, www.bgcmsdelta.org/the_benefits_of_sports_in_the_lives_of_children?gclid=CjwKCAjw6p-oBhAYEiwAgg2PgqwSsSG4froSIwnwIqBiMjNTzME3GVMQszedYBtuDILA-u3X0GJBVRoCIkIQAvD_BwE. Accessed 18 Sept. 2023. 

Team, Editorial. “Top 10 Benefits of Teamwork You Must Know!” Bit Blog, Blog.bit.ai, 20 June 2022, blog.bit.ai/benefits-of-teamwork/#:~:text=Teams%20that%20work%20together%20are,leads%20to%20higher%20quality%20output.