I just started playing softball this spring, but I wish I started playing earlier because being on a team is the best feeling ever. The team I’m playing on this season is called The Infernos; we have orange shirts and orange socks that we wear on our Wednesday games and flames socks that we wear on our Saturday games. All the girls on the team are really supportive and welcoming, because most of them have been playing for years, so they know how it feels to be the new player.
I went to evaluation with my best friend Sara and we were so scared that we would be horrible at it, but pretty much every new softball player is horrible at the beginning. A few weeks later I got an email saying who my coach was and what my team name was. Originally I was supposed to be on the team called the Hurricanes, but since it was my first time playing I wanted to be one the same team as Sara.
The first softball practice I had, I believe was the hardest I’ve pushed my body; my coach had us doing sprints and laps all around the softball field. Since it was the first practice and the first time meeting the team as a whole, the coach had all of us introduce ourselves to everyone and the two other coaches. There’s about ten players on the team and two coaches, so the dugout is always pretty packed and hot.
Playing softball takes up a lot of my time because we have two practices and two games each week. Plus I have a job so I work at least two days out of the three days I would have free and Mondays are the only days I have that I’m not scheduled to do something. So you can say I’m managing my time very, very carefully, especially balancing my school work.
I have learned a lot so far during my time of playing softball and each person on the team is extremely encouraging at the games and practices. About a few weeks ago I fell really hard on my knee at a game and I thought that I had torn something in my knee and wouldn’t be able to play anymore, but right after the game I went straight to the emergency room. The doctor didn’t see anything wrong in the X-ray but he said I should put a lot of weight on it or the bump would become inflamed and I would need surgery underneath my knee cap. So you can say I was terrified about playing on the field again.
I would recommend playing softball or baseball to anyone because it’s a really fun experience and you wouldn’t want to stop playing. I just wish I had started playing when I was younger.