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Heather

I am a HUGE fan of sports, but I much prefer playing over watching. The reason is simple, really, and it had everything to do with my inability to sit still. Ok, and it might have something to do with how I think I know it all and could do it better than those, you know, actually playing.

Hey, I’m just keeping it real.

The first year that Samara cheered, I ended up being a helper. I couldn’t stand just sitting there at practices and while I know that I am not a cheerleader, I could do enough to help the girls with their candlesticks, high and low v’s and all those other moves that have the weirdest names.

Then last year, I ended up as the assistant coach and it was fun. But I never had to sit still. I was in the stands getting the parents motivated, doing the cheers with the girls because inevitable one of the girls would forget, or get distracted or something.

So when I was asked to coach softball, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. I would much prefer to just be a helper. Then I’m not watching but I don’t have to take the responsibility of everything… heaven forbid that I would have to take responsibility for a win or a loss… or how well they play the game.

I’m also very competitive. That never got in the way when I was coaching cheerleading, but with softball? Oh. My. Word. It’s starting to come out and I have check myself before I wreck the image of myself that I want the girls to have. Because today? I wanted to go off on the other team.

And really? It’s just because they felt threatened, I’m sure… lol

We lost today, by the way. We played the team that spanked us last Saturday. But today? We only lost by 2. (If you don’t remember, last week we lost by 8.) If we could’ve played just one more inning, we would’ve won.

But back to this coaching thing. I wasn’t sure if I would like it. I wasn’t sure if I could stand just standing on the side lines telling the girls when to run or where to throw. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to make line ups and field rotations. I honestly didn’t think that I would like it all that much.

And we all know how chicken I was when it came the first game.

But, over time, and after we logged our third game today, I’ve realized that I love this. I love helping the girls. I love seeing them thrive and I love offering encouragement when they don’t.

I love seeing those who aren’t the best players actually get the ball and the look on their faces when they realize they have the ball and don’t remember what to do with it.

I love the looks on their faces when the bat makes contact and they are so in shock that they forget to run. I love yelling for them from my place on the sidelines and telling them to get ready to book. I love telling the batters when they step into the box that I want them to come visit me at 3rd base.

And those are the ones that are quite as good as the others.

I love seeing the good ones strive to do better. I love seeing their passion and drive. Like this one girl we have. She’s amazing. She has such passion. She’s the type of kid that gets the ball at the pitchers mound and then runs it herself to first (and gets the runner out because she’s just that fast). And when I tell her that she really needs to throw it to the first baseman, I love it when she tells me that she can’t because the first baseman never catches it.)

And do you know what else I love?

I love watching my daughter thrive up close and personal. And I mean, THRIVE.

This morning my assistant coach called to remind me that he wasn’t going to be there today and talk to me about the line up and unprompted, emphatically he told me how good my daughter, who has only been playing for a month, is.

But seriously, she is!

And it’s so amazing! She has a passion for playing. She loves this game. And I can only imagine that I am looking at her the way that my parents looked at me.

The look on her face when she is up to bat is the same look that I had. When she swings, she swings to smack the crap out of that ball and today?

Oh. My. Goodness. I couldn’t even believe it.

The first two balls were a miss because she wasn’t keeping her eye on the ball. After some gentle reminders about it, she stood up there, her stance darned near perfect, and the ball came across the plate and I heard the crack.

And then I watched that ball sail over the pitcher and land in the outfield. Did you get that? It landed in the outfield. Not hit and rolled past three players out there. It LANDED in the outfield.

That doesn’t happen often with our girls and this is the second time she’s done it.

And I love hearing the other team’s coaches telling their players to “watch her” and I just want to look at them and say, “that’s my girl”.

Softball was always my thing. And now? It’s my daughter’s.

and the love of this game just got greater.

Who knows? Maybe she’s finally found a way to pay her way through college.

We can dream, right?

And one

Until next time…

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