The Love of the Game

This past weekend my 12 year old closed a chapter in her softball career and now we prepare to open another.

She played her last tournament with her last 12u team. My sweet, small, tough, caring, and hardworking girl has to move up to 14u in the fall. This means bigger girls, faster pitches, and having to move back to 43ft herself when she pitches.

Most of you reading this are probably thinking that this is not a big deal, but my girl is smaller than most softball players you see playing the game these days. Not even 5ft at 12 years old means she has to fight harder than most. She has to work 10 times harder to prove to whatever coach and team we are trying out for or playing for that she is worth the risk. She can hang with the best of them. The beautiful thing about my girl is that she WILL prove you wrong. Tell her she can not do something and you can prepare yourself to sit back and see amazing things happen. She will show you that you messed up telling her she could not do something.

This girl also has a caring heart. So leaving a team of girls behind was heartbreaking for her. We were on a great team with great girls and parents. It is rare that you get the best of both worlds. Great girls who love the game as much as your child and great parents who cheer on your daughter as if she were their own.

Lots of tears were shed this weekend, knowing they would not play on the same team again in the fall. Each girl having to go their own way.

While we may not of won many tournaments or been ranked among the best, these girls can truly say they had the time of their lives because when it is all said and done friendship matters. Not the stats. Not the trophies or rankings. Friendship. Love. Memories.

 

And the love of the game.

 

Thank you 12u Hit Away for those memories. And for taking a chance on my small girl. Loving her. Believing in her. And giving her a great year of softball.