Tonight marked the final out of the regular season for DD's High School team. Never would DW and I had predicted that DD's team would have gelled so well and have so quickly become a team. All of the stress at tryouts, and winter workouts ended with our team going 16-4 and sharing a conference championship title with an excellent team that we split the season series with.
I hear and read a lot about the drama in HS ball and can say that some girls in DD's club org do face this but for DD it was simple. Work your tail off and out perform the other pitchers. The rest will take care of itself. DD's goal was to be the starting pitcher as a freshman... She had this goal in mind for 3 years... the road was rough, her school team is historically excellent. Marred with set backs and injuries, changing to IR, and learning to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. Placing her on teams that would push her past her limits with kids who were always better than her and faced with the reality that she had to either outwork them every day or sit. And now as she finished the season with a 15-3 record she confided in me that she now understands what it takes to be an elite pitcher. She runs, lifts, and pushes herself every day. I guess what I am trying to say is that I am proud of her team and what they achieved and I'm proud of my kid. She's surpassed what I ever imagined that she was capable of. I won't lie, it was scary putting her on teams where every pitcher was better than her, but I never once had a doubt that she would work hard to prove herself. It was a gut check to watch the other girls pitch while she sat back then, but they were better than her. I challenged her to do what it takes to get better and to her credit she did it.
I sat there tonight watching her pitch a gem and for a moment I thought to myself "I don't even know this kid, this isn't the kid that I remember catching a few short years ago, who couldn't even throw a strike and who would hit me in the shin every other pitch". As a dad I have never had that feeling, so I guess it's new to me. This sport is about more that just an optic yellow ball
For those Moms and Dads worried about HS ball next year, please go in with an open mind and maybe you will be pleasantly surprised like we were.
Please wish us well as we enter the Playoffs in two short days.
I hear and read a lot about the drama in HS ball and can say that some girls in DD's club org do face this but for DD it was simple. Work your tail off and out perform the other pitchers. The rest will take care of itself. DD's goal was to be the starting pitcher as a freshman... She had this goal in mind for 3 years... the road was rough, her school team is historically excellent. Marred with set backs and injuries, changing to IR, and learning to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. Placing her on teams that would push her past her limits with kids who were always better than her and faced with the reality that she had to either outwork them every day or sit. And now as she finished the season with a 15-3 record she confided in me that she now understands what it takes to be an elite pitcher. She runs, lifts, and pushes herself every day. I guess what I am trying to say is that I am proud of her team and what they achieved and I'm proud of my kid. She's surpassed what I ever imagined that she was capable of. I won't lie, it was scary putting her on teams where every pitcher was better than her, but I never once had a doubt that she would work hard to prove herself. It was a gut check to watch the other girls pitch while she sat back then, but they were better than her. I challenged her to do what it takes to get better and to her credit she did it.
I sat there tonight watching her pitch a gem and for a moment I thought to myself "I don't even know this kid, this isn't the kid that I remember catching a few short years ago, who couldn't even throw a strike and who would hit me in the shin every other pitch". As a dad I have never had that feeling, so I guess it's new to me. This sport is about more that just an optic yellow ball
For those Moms and Dads worried about HS ball next year, please go in with an open mind and maybe you will be pleasantly surprised like we were.
Please wish us well as we enter the Playoffs in two short days.
