Eve Phelps

October 7, 2018

Professor Berger

Evaluating My Softball Season

What is the leading aspect in your life that enables you to find happiness? For me, it is softball. Many people do not allow themselves to be captivated by sports, but instead by books, movies, music, and television. Speaking from personal experience, I found myself engulfed in the world of softball. My senior season of softball was an impactful season because of the many things I gained through the sport such as: building lifelong friendships, gaining life knowledge, and overcoming internal emotion.

Although the season itself was enjoyable, the many friendships I gained through the sport made it even more worth wild. Throughout my senior season of softball, I met so many new people who became close friends. Not only were we able to be extremely successful during the season, but we enjoyed each other’s company as well. Although the team was able to come together and have fun, we always kept our eyes on the prize. Speaking of building lifelong friendships, my teammate, Madyson, was the closest friend on my team, as well as the only other senior. Madyson did not get to participate in playoffs nor receive her diploma; unfortunately, Madyson had internal issues that took over. Although senior year was not the same without her, it gave the team a chance to come together and realize how important it is to value friendship. Going into the playoffs, we played for Madyson. We ended the season with a winning record of twelve wins and one loss.

In addition, Coach O’quinn was my closest friend and guru, without the man we would not have been half the team we were. No one is born a softball player; it takes hard work, dedication, and a good coach. A good coach can be both harsh and caring at the same time, and Coach O’Quinn was just that. Yes, we could play around and have fun, but we knew when to buckle down and focus. O’Quinn was always able to both joke around with his players and give acceptable consequences to us when we did not give it our all. Our team practiced four days a week and three hours a day. Without the commitment of our coach being available and actually wanting to be there, we would have not become the successful team that we were. Although O’Quinn was our coach, this was not the only way we described him. Before practice even began we had an hour of study hall, where we worked on homework and built a relationship with our coach that went far deeper than being “just our coach.” O’quinn made sure to always ask everyone how our day was and if there was anything he could do. He never let outside issues interfere with his coaching and never once complained about all of the hard work he had to put into making schedules, prepping the field, and sacrificing his personal time. O’Quinn never failed to keep a smile on his face no matter the score of the game, whether there was a bad call, or if something was bothering him prior to the game. Most of the girls on the team would refer to him as a mentor instead of a coach; he was always the one we went to when we had questions regarding softball or school-related work.

Being comfortable with your settings, whether it be the people, place or objects surrounding you, will without fail, contribute to how you play. A good environment will make you feel right at home. Our field consisted of two dugouts and our own locker room where we did not just get ready for games, but bond as well. In addition to the buildings and dugouts around the field, we also have senior banners. This way when people come to our games, they know who the seniors are and who will be graduating. In order to get the money for banners, the team had to participate in countless fundraisers. This was a good thing because it was always nice having the team and parents together trying to work towards one goal. Home games were everyone’s favorite since we did not have to travel, more fans came, and being at home was home field advantage. Honestly, my favorite part about home games was walking straight into the concession and grabbing a snack as if I was at home. A softball field can either be your best friend or worst enemy. I personally struggle with stage fright. I have never been comfortable with getting in front of people and talking, but softball allowed me to surpass my fear. Performing in front of all of our fans and seeing the smile light upon their faces gave me the confidence I never knew I possessed. Each time I get up to the plate, “Yeah” by Usher began to play. This song has always made me feel invincible. Turning around and looking at all the supporting fans made me feel special, and the thought of people offering to pay money to watch my team and me play was astounding. The atmosphere of the field, including the crowds of people and the best type of music, made the softball field almost like my getaway from reality. The game itself may be the most important, but without a comfortable and accepting atmosphere, this could potentially skew the way you play.  

Though my softball season was extremely successful, there are some that do not think as highly of our program. Some presume that our team is extremely drama affiliated and contributes to how we play. This is not accurate. Although as an outsider looking in on our team, it may seem we fight, it is just the way we communicate. Everyone on our team knows not to take anything to the heart when playing in an intense game. Other teams we play have mentioned that our skill level, in general, is not great. They say our pitcher is too slow and not accurate. Our starting pitcher tore her rotator cuff so we had to result to the next best thing. After being able to give playing time to our second string pitcher, she will eventually be a force to be reckoned with. Most of the teams and other parents in our area think that our coach gets too aggressive; however, he is just very competitive and expects the best. He wants us to give our 110% because he knows how bad we want it.  

My senior softball season was an overall important sport that helped develop relationships that lasted a lifetime, opened my mind to new things, and helped gain knowledge that could be put forth to the future. It made such an impact in my life as well as many others. If you need something to make you look forward to the next day or just an activity that encourages you to get up and get active give softball a “swing”.  Keep an open mind and try it out you never know, you may find yourself loving it just as much as I do.