Unfortunately, Sarah Kate’s first game of fall softball season was rained out, so the season opener turned out to be a tournament this past Saturday. After a rocky first practice, Sarah Kate’s batting improved rapidly (or should I say re-emerged?) so we were confident she was ready for the new season. As the oldest and (shockingly) one of the most experienced players on the team, I had high hopes for her second season.
And by high hopes, I mean that I no longer dread softball. 🙂
Her first at bat, she lost her balance in the batter’s box, which is not unusual but also not common. She did eventually make contact with the ball, sending it into fair territory, and for a split second I thought the worst was behind us. I’m accustomed to the awkward gait, but the falling is still tough to take. Despite her solid hit, she fell as she started toward first base, and by the time she got up and started moving again she had been thrown out.
Coach Charli hurried over to her to see if she was alright, and that’s when the waterworks started. Instinctively, I headed to the dugout – not to comfort her, but to turn off the spigot. Coach Charli and the others fretted that she might have hurt her knee, but I knew better: she was disappointed. Sure, her knee probably did hurt a little, but after being her mom for, oh, almost a decade, I know that if she’s actually hurt she won’t be able to walk. Any little injury will throw her balance off completely.
I told her to rub some dirt on it and go get her glove.
Things didn’t improve much from there. She struck out (multiple times) after that and generally looked miserable. Her swing was pathetic, she didn’t plant her feet in the batter’s box, and even the umpire (who had called almost of her spring games) came over to the fence to talk to me about her performance. He thought maybe she was afraid – her remembered she got hit with the ball at the end of last season – but I was confident that wasn’t the problem.
In the second game of the day, things weren’t improving.
Mr. Andi told her that if she didn’t straighten up and start trying that she was going home and there would be no more softball. I know it sounds harsh, and I imagine the parents who haven’t been around us before probably wonder why we’d put so much pressure on a tiny nine year old who clearly has no future in professional sports. What they don’t know, though, is that Sarah Kate is tough – she’s always been tough – and nurturing wasn’t what she needed at that moment.
And then on a single play, everything changed.
In the spring, only a few balls ever came toward Sarah Kate – none of them close. Although she catches well, someone else could always get to it quicker, so she never fielded a ball the entire season. The team was short a couple of players on Saturday, however, and late in the second game, a ground ball was hit toward right center. The girl in the infield missed it, and it shot toward Sarah Kate’s left side. It was too far away to lean down and grab (not that she has much leeway in her leaning ability), so she dove for the stop, grabbed it, and threw it in – from her knees – to the player between her and the pitcher.
Her first defensive play.
The runner was held at first – she’d almost certainly have made it to third without the stop – and when Sarah Kate returned to the dugout a few minutes later she was a new person. Her confidence had returned, and she had a spring in her step that she hadn’t had since her first at bat in game one.
When she came up to bat the next time, it was a base hit.
She also advanced a runner, who scored off the next hitter.
And you know what else? She advanced to second base on that next hitter.
She didn’t make it any further than second base, but she also wasn’t thrown or tagged out. She was back to her old self.
During the game, Coach Charli’s husband came over to me to ask what to do to encourage Sarah Kate – he didn’t want to seem condescending. I told him to remember that she’s always been the way she is, and that she doesn’t think of herself as different from the other girls. It’s a lesson that I teach frequently, and often have to remind myself of at times.
And on the ride home, she wanted to listen to her power song.
Makes me that much strongerMakes me work a little bit harder
It makes me that much wiser
So thanks for making me a fighter
Made me learn a little bit faster
Made my skin a little bit thicker
Makes me that much smarter
So thanks for making me a fighter
I love this. I love that she didn’t give up and that her power song is Fighter. Waterworks here reading this. <3.
She also likes “Eye of the Tiger” (yes, the 80s classic!)
wow. How amazing. To be honest, I am in awe of her. Can’t imagine what life will be like when Ben makes his way into organized sports…thanks for blogging about this…so I can see what the future may hold.
One thing that I’m not certain comes through in my posts is that she’s not just a regular kid in her own mind, she’s an equal to the other players, as well. Her spring team rallied around her, of course, but they were never condescending. And the teams that we played this weekend (and she played again last night) don’t hesitate to try to throw her out. It’s amazing. 🙂
Tears here as I read this. I’m so inspired. You go, SK! I love that “Fighter” song, too.
Wow. I am so happy that Sarah Kate is excelling at softball. She can wear cleats when she plays? Sorry, I’m just curious because I also have mild CP, and although I’ve never played softball, I’ve always worn tennis shoes and my SMOs when I’ve played any competitive team sports- cleats were too heavy and I tripped too much. I just wanted to say that I am so impressed- but not suprised- that Sarah Kate can compete on, or close to, the same level as her peers. I know how hard it is to keep up with everyone else while running. I play lacrosse, and it’s definitely been a struggle to keep up with everyone else, especially as the game gets faster and people get bigger as you go into high school. I’m definitely not even close to the same skill level as everyone else on the team, but I play anyway. So I just wanted to say that it definitely takes some skill to be able to actually play on the same level as eveyone else- kudos to Sarah Kate- that’s awesome.
She does wear cleats, but she uses soccer cleats instead of softball cleats because they don’t throw her balance off like the softball ones. She wears AFOs to school and doing normal activities, but not during practice or games. We started out wearing them but she moves much better without them (when she needs to move fast) so we moved to regular athletic shoes, then to soccer cleats. Although I didn’t time her in the spring, I’m confident that her running speed improved during the season.
I’m glad to hear that you’ve continued to play sports in high school. We are nervous about her moving up to 10U, but I know she’s going to want to keep playing so we’ll just need to suck it up and let her try. 🙂
I got to see SK in action last night when my family and I went out to watch her play. My boys play spring baseball and didn’t get to watch any of her spring softball games, so it was a rare look for them into girls’ sports. My boys are not easy to impress, nor do they give out compliments readily. My oldest, Ben, a friend of SK’s, commented that her swing was the best on the team. Level and true. She made good contact with the ball.
The opposing players didn’t bat an eye at throwing her out or even seem like they noticed she ran a bit differently. They could’ve cared less, actually. Her team was the same way. She was their teammate and friend. Nothing more. The parents didn’t cheer condescendingly for her. They just cheered for her like any other player. She was included without a thought. The coaches didn’t coddle her when she fell. They just made sure she dusted herself off and got back out there. No differently than they would have done otherwise for any other player. Athletes don’t need babying. SK is an athlete.