At one time she looked cute as a button,
dressed in pink with ponytails.
She had tea parties with her stuffed animals
and dolls, and helped Mom bake cookies.
She had been, and always will be
Daddy's and Mommy's little girl.

Today the Fastpitch player still has
those same little girl attributes.
The only difference is now she looks cute
in her sliders and shorts.
If she's wearing ribbons in her hair,
they are the team colors.
She has become Daddy's and Mommy's
little pitcher, catcher, hitter, runner...

The Fastpitch player is proud
of how dirty she can get.
On a normal family dinner outing,
she takes up to an hour primping to get ready,
and she still feels somewhat self-conscious.
However, between tournament games she will
strut into any restaurant
with a streak of dirt across her face,
ratted sweaty hair, a dirt-stained shirt,
bloody knees, brown socks (they used to be white)
or brown toes with sandals, and yell, "Let's Eat!"

The Fastpitch player is ready and willing to play
at the drop of a hat.
If she can get away with it,
she will play on two teams
(in the same day no less).
She has an extensive wardrobe:
several hundred tee-shirts and boxer shorts
from camps, leagues,
and tournaments around the country.
When her parents say wear something nice,
she thinks it means wear a
'tournament tee-shirt without dirt stains'.
She has several old uniforms she has outgrown,
but has not discarded because,
well, you never know...

The Fastpitch player needs to get a scholarship,
because her parents are financially strapped
from spending thousands of dollars paying for
camps, batting lessons, pitching lessons,
catching lessons, league fees, hotel rooms,
out-to-eat between tournament games,
concession stands, gloves, bats, etc., etc...

The Fastpitch player is a fierce competitor.
She is willing to stand 40 feet away from a pitcher
and take a pitch with a measured reaction time
that even a major league baseball player
would struggle to hit.
She might only be 4'3'' and 75 pounds (soaking wet),
but she'll dig in at 3rd or 1st,
25 feet away from the batter
and challenge them to drive one down her throat.
No matter what position she might play,
no one can tell her softball is soft.
She knows that throwing like a girl
doesn't mean what it used to mean.

The Fastpitch player has spirit.
She knows that a player's ability to cheer
can sometimes affect roster decisions.
She'll go home hoarse from cheering and rooting
her team on into the final innings.
She plays the sport for all the right reasons,
because she loves the game!
She could hang out at the mall,
stay home and watch TV,
or spend her summer at the pool.
Instead, she has a tight schedule
with limited free time,
hangs out on the practice field
with a coach in her face,
and spends her weekends on a 95-degree field
with no shade, waiting to get in the game.

The Fastpitch player is diligent and hard working.
She knows the value of hard work.
She understands that you get out of something
what you put into it.
She is competitive and doesn't give up easily.
She learns teamwork and spirit.
Most of all, she learns to respect some
and fear none.

The Fastpitch player dreams of double plays,
slap bunts, sacrifice hits, and future gold.
Regardless of all the sacrifices, the money,
the occasional bad coach,
and the little hardships like having to
drink water that people have put their hands in,
she has a lot of fun every summer
-- enough to make her come back each year.
While she knows she will always be
Daddy's and Mommy's little girl,
she also knows that her destiny is
to become tomorrow's modern woman.

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Created 21-Apr-2008

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