Unit 1 Project Final 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 on 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.
In order to be literate in softball, I believe the athlete needs to acquire physical, psychological, personal, and technical characteristics.
Obviously, physical characteristics are critical to be literate in softball. Players must be equipped with explosiveness, speed and agility, coordination, upper and lower body strength, and more. So, I would complete weekly workouts that would focus on these characteristics in order to increase their productivity. As a catcher, I would specifically target my lower extremities and explosiveness to gain muscle and repetition in skills that benefit my position.
Psychological characteristics and mindset are extremely important when it comes to being a softball player. Players must have emotional control, attentional control, and be able to cope under stress and failure. As a softball player who started as an anxious wreck, I've learned the art of perseverance, and being able to recognize that nobody is perfect. Even the best players on the team would make mistakes, and it took me time to realize that it's a part of the game. I feel body language and dialogue on the team and amongst players makes a huge impact on how athletes respond to failure. As a literate softball player, I've realized that when I hear my companions shout, “Don’t worry, you got the next one”, they truly have my back. Before I transitioned to being a catcher, I was a pitcher the majority of my younger years. With the game dependent on my pitches, it took immense control of my emotions to not get in the way of my goals. It is so easy to allow 4 balls to completely take over your emotions, but I've become fluent in persevering through setbacks. There are certain routines I follow as a player that get me into a good mindset before taking part in the game. For example, I always have to put on my cleats left to right, and double knot my right cleat. I have the same batting routine everytime I walk up to the plate. I have a specific routine when warming up my pitchers that allow me to feel entirely prepared for the game. I listen to the same song in the minutes leading up to every game. Lastly, I have worn the number 19 on the back of my jersey since my first season playing back on my dads team. Wearing this number represents the new player I became since the day I stepped back on the field, and reminds me of how far I have come in my softball career. Since that day, I have never played without the number 19 on my back.These small routines I complete contribute to my overall emotional state on the field, as I feel I am fully prepared to play ball.
I feel softball, specifically being a part of a softball team, has made me an optimistic and determined individual. Softball has given me a sense of urgency, and given me the will to want to improve. This has casted into other great personality traits that I've gained, like being coachable. I am always open to constructive criticism, not only on the field, but in other aspects in life, which I feel has made me improve in subjects off the field. Being on a team has made me a dependable team player. I know what will cheer up my teammates when we are in a state of defeat, and how to congratulate players after a good try, regardless of the outcome.
Some technical characteristics that softball players have is the ability to quickly make decisions, and have a broad understanding of the game. Athletes who master the skill of quick, decisive decision making tend to dictate the flow of the game, feel in control and confident, and are able to make things happen in a competitive manner. Due to my team's shared literacy, we know where to be when we need to make an effective play happen as quickly as we can. The language we share and internal connected understanding allows us to not even have to shout out loud what needs to be done, we just know what to do and where to be.
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.
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.
In order to be literate in softball, I believe the athlete needs to acquire physical, psychological, personal, and technical characteristics.
Obviously, physical characteristics are critical to be literate in softball. Players must be equipped with explosiveness, speed and agility, coordination, upper and lower body strength, and more. So, I would complete weekly workouts that would focus on these characteristics in order to increase their productivity. As a catcher, I would specifically target my lower extremities and explosiveness to gain muscle and repetition in skills that benefit my position.
Psychological characteristics and mindset are extremely important when it comes to being a softball player. Players must have emotional control, attentional control, and be able to cope under stress and failure. As a softball player who started as an anxious wreck, I've learned the art of perseverance, and being able to recognize that nobody is perfect. Even the best players on the team would make mistakes, and it took me time to realize that it's a part of the game. I feel body language and dialogue on the team and amongst players makes a huge impact on how athletes respond to failure. As a literate softball player, I've realized that when I hear my companions shout, “Don’t worry, you got the next one”, they truly have my back. Before I transitioned to being a catcher, I was a pitcher the majority of my younger years. With the game dependent on my pitches, it took immense control of my emotions to not get in the way of my goals. It is so easy to allow 4 balls to completely take over your emotions, but I've become fluent in persevering through setbacks. There are certain routines I follow as a player that get me into a good mindset before taking part in the game. For example, I always have to put on my cleats left to right, and double knot my right cleat. I have the same batting routine everytime I walk up to the plate. I have a specific routine when warming up my pitchers that allow me to feel entirely prepared for the game. I listen to the same song in the minutes leading up to every game. Lastly, I have worn the number 19 on the back of my jersey since my first season playing back on my dads team. Wearing this number represents the new player I became since the day I stepped back on the field, and reminds me of how far I have come in my softball career. Since that day, I have never played without the number 19 on my back.These small routines I complete contribute to my overall emotional state on the field, as I feel I am fully prepared to play ball.
I feel softball, specifically being a part of a softball team, has made me an optimistic and determined individual. Softball has given me a sense of urgency, and given me the will to want to improve. This has casted into other great personality traits that I've gained, like being coachable. I am always open to constructive criticism, not only on the field, but in other aspects in life, which I feel has made me improve in subjects off the field. Being on a team has made me a dependable team player. I know what will cheer up my teammates when we are in a state of defeat, and how to congratulate players after a good try, regardless of the outcome.
Some technical characteristics that softball players have is the ability to quickly make decisions, and have a broad understanding of the game. Athletes who master the skill of quick, decisive decision making tend to dictate the flow of the game, feel in control and confident, and are able to make things happen in a competitive manner. Due to my team's shared literacy, we know where to be when we need to make an effective play happen as quickly as we can. The language we share and internal connected understanding allows us to not even have to shout out loud what needs to be done, we just know what to do and where to be.
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.
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