My dd quit the game after HS. It came as no surprise since from grade 9 she told me she didn't want to play college. She could have, several of her past teammates have and do, but it wasn't what she wanted out of her college experience. So at her last HS game we said goodbye to the game.
Her first semester of college she went to a "rec" night where all the university club teams and intramural programs have booths. She said she didn't realize how much she missed softball until she saw the batting cages and her heart started beating faster. So she decided to try out for the club team. What a great program that is at her school, Grand Valley State University, There were 25 girls trying out for just a few open spots. And she made the team. She hadn't picked up a glove or a bat in over 4 months. The expectations for practice and the game schedule fit into what she wanted at school, they practice twice a week and play only on weekends. On her team the girls run the team, they vote for board members who double as the coaches. This season my dd is the financial secretary.
Anyway, I went to my first game with very little expectation and I was surprised. This is real softball, truly the deepest team she has ever played on, and the competition was good. I have watched a lot of ball, and this was good. What I didn't know going in, was how big the organization is that runs club softball, over 120 teams from all over the country. They wound up going to the Club Softball World Series where I saw some of the best defense, by the third game I realized that no, my dd wasn't robbed of a triple in game 1. That was a normal play at this level.
So long story, not as long. This year is my dd's second year. Her team just won their regional and are going back to the World Series. I knew my dd was considering making this her last year, her studies and her upcoming co-op job are taking up more time and she doesn't think she can devote the time to the game. I didn't realize she had made up her mind until I saw tweets from the team honoring the girls who are leaving after Nationals, and my dds name was one of them. Bittersweet, sad to see her leave the game, but happy to see her moving forward to her dream of becoming an engineer. So I have one more tourney to go to for her, I still follow a couple of her teammates and past coaches, so there will be more games to go to. But for her, just the one in Georgia at the end of May.
Go Lakers, Anchor up
Her first semester of college she went to a "rec" night where all the university club teams and intramural programs have booths. She said she didn't realize how much she missed softball until she saw the batting cages and her heart started beating faster. So she decided to try out for the club team. What a great program that is at her school, Grand Valley State University, There were 25 girls trying out for just a few open spots. And she made the team. She hadn't picked up a glove or a bat in over 4 months. The expectations for practice and the game schedule fit into what she wanted at school, they practice twice a week and play only on weekends. On her team the girls run the team, they vote for board members who double as the coaches. This season my dd is the financial secretary.
Anyway, I went to my first game with very little expectation and I was surprised. This is real softball, truly the deepest team she has ever played on, and the competition was good. I have watched a lot of ball, and this was good. What I didn't know going in, was how big the organization is that runs club softball, over 120 teams from all over the country. They wound up going to the Club Softball World Series where I saw some of the best defense, by the third game I realized that no, my dd wasn't robbed of a triple in game 1. That was a normal play at this level.
So long story, not as long. This year is my dd's second year. Her team just won their regional and are going back to the World Series. I knew my dd was considering making this her last year, her studies and her upcoming co-op job are taking up more time and she doesn't think she can devote the time to the game. I didn't realize she had made up her mind until I saw tweets from the team honoring the girls who are leaving after Nationals, and my dds name was one of them. Bittersweet, sad to see her leave the game, but happy to see her moving forward to her dream of becoming an engineer. So I have one more tourney to go to for her, I still follow a couple of her teammates and past coaches, so there will be more games to go to. But for her, just the one in Georgia at the end of May.
Go Lakers, Anchor up
