Good Sports

Current mood: hopeful
I played a lot of softball as a kid. In Arizona, that is pretty normal. I played for school until high school and then just played in the spring and summer, but I always loved the game. I was a pretty good fielder and a great thrid baseman, but most important to the majority of my coaches was that I was a power hitter. I could nail the ball and send it soaring, which was great because I was slow like sloth when it came to running.

I learned a lot on and off the field from playing softball. I learned that when it is over, it really is over and there are no Mulligans in softball or real life. If you strike out, it is on you to get a hit the next time. If you get a walk, consider yourself lucky. If you get a home run, know that the next at bat you might strike out. Sliding will get the job done most of the time, but you'll be dirty afterward. When you are on deck it is time to visualize your next plan of action. If you get beaned while at bat you'll get what you deserve. Do you see the similarities?

I also learned that some of the most vicious competetors I have ever seen wear nail polish and pony tails.

While parusing blogs-a-plenty I ran across a link to the story listed below. I felt compelled to click on the link and learn more. And of course, me being me, I cried like a baby.

May 7, 2008, 1:19 pm
Girls, Sports and Sportsmanship
If there already weren't enough reasons to get your child involved in sports, the story of Sara Tucholsky will give you another one.
Ms. Tucholsky plays softball for Western Oregon University, but in her high school and college careers, the 5-foot-2 player had never hit a home run. On the last Saturday in April, in a game against Central Washington University, she hit her first home run over the fence. But as she began to run the bases, a misstep resulted in a torn knee ligament and she couldn't continue.
The umpire mistakenly ruled that a team member couldn't run in her place or assist her around the bases. A member of the opposing team, first baseman Mallory Holtman, the career home run leader in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, asked the umpire if she and her teammates could help Ms. Tucholsky run the bases. He said they could, and Ms. Holtman and shortstop Liz Wallace carried her around the field as she gently tapped her uninjured leg on each base.
At least 150,000 people have now watched videos of the moment on YouTube. To see ESPN's take on it, grab a tissue and watch below.
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Competition is one of the most rewarding parts of life. Whether that competition is between you and another sportsman, you and yourself, you and the heiffer lady down the street who swears her kid is better than yours or just between your willpower and a bag of chips.
Better than competition is sportsmanship. It is great to know that a fair shake is something everyone deserves.
Currently listening : Centerfield By John Fogerty Release date: 2001-04-24