For Love of the Game
The smell of a new leather glove and sunshine welcomed me as my brand new cleats crunched along the Leigh softball field. Stepping on to the field for the first time in four years brought back bittersweet memories of my childhood. More specifically, playing T-ball with my fellow classmates as the Leigh Panthers. I remember having to be moved up to my sister Carlene’s team while being two years younger than everyone else at 10 and under. I remember joining my assortment of ‘sandlot’ friends when playing for the Creston Ramblers that was made up of Leigh, Creston and Humphrey as 12 and under, which won 1st place in our tournament and conference. I remember playing ball in the front lawn for hours, watching Carlene pitch as my brother Ryan tried to perfect a baseball swing under Dad’s critical watch. No matter the age, softball for me has always held many fond memories.
Junior high hit me with the sad reality that softball was not a sport that could be easily pursued. Instead, I became the faithful bookkeeper for the volleyball team and Carlene’s biggest fan.
High school brought on the era of Patriot volleyball and the beginning of a new chapter in athletics for me. Of course, as anyone else, I began to dream of the day that my name would be announced across the loudspeakers as the crowd roared with chaos, and I would be a victorious varsity starter with the wicked kill like Jordan Larson. Once my sister graduated, the haze cleared and that dream died as reality set in with the terrifying fact that I simply did not possess a passion for volleyball.
Talk of the new softball team that was forming was took place in hushed tones. The idea seemed different. Four towns joining to make one softball team? Co-oping Clarkson/Leigh with Howells/Dodge when we are extreme archrivals in football? Our current coach, Adam Indra, was very confident in starting a new team though that promised to be new, exciting, and above all, fun. Even if it involved many inexperienced and young athletes.
Deciding to switch sports wasn’t easy. The fact that it was my senior year made it more strenuous. Gamble a potential starting spot in volleyball for a sport I haven’t played in years? Not to mention ditching my friends, teammates and years of volleyball preparation? In the end, it boiled down to one thing; for love of the game, I choose softball.
The crack of the bat, the smell of popcorn, the feel of the night air with bright lights, the umpire’s cry “strike three,” the pulse of adrenaline, and that moment when the whole world pauses to hold its breath as the fly ball floats into a new glove. I wouldn’t trade any of this for the world. Even though I lack the experience of a true ball player, I love this sport. And the Highway 91 Cyclones are a group of girls who are extraordinary. From rookies to players who have played ball since they could walk, it is a privilege to play alongside them all. It doesn’t matter who’s from where or how old an individual is—this team is accepting of everyone. We want to win, but above all, we play to have fun. We play for love of the game.