Ileana Aleman is a nineteen year old from Pharr, Texas. She was born on March 1, 1996 and has always dreamed of playing softball. She is currently a student at the University of Arkansas where she is majoring in Creative Writing. Along with spending time on her academics, she also spends her time playing on the University of Arkansas Women’s Softball Team.…
It was one of the things that kept her motivated to go to college. Jessica’s goals were to go to college and play softball. Her freshman year of high school she made the varsity team. She was so thrilled because everything was going the way she planned…
You Know You’re a Softball Dad When… If you’re a parent of a young athlete, you know that sports are a family affair. Your youngster puts in a lot of hard work to improve at softball, but you also work pretty hard to help them succeed. Softball Dad’s know that it takes time, resources, patience, and dedication to help young athletes excel at their chosen sport. How many of these Softball Dad habits can you relate to?…
It has also given me some of the greatest memories that I get to remember for the rest of my life. Softball is a wonderful sport that has not only offered us, as a nation, and those around the world an abundance of greatness in so many ways but has also given back to us and more importantly, to me, so very much more in…
My dad was very good at baseball, if it wasn’t for a knee injury he would of got drafted. My brothers played baseball in highschool as well, me and my older brother learned from my dad. My dad used to play with us almost everyday, he used to be my coach for 8 years. He has always…
Title: Never Giving Up Softball Have you ever played a sport and you felt like your team would never win a game? Well that is what the whole 8th grade varsity felt like by the end of the softball season. I first started playing softball because my dad played in our church league. One game he shattered his knee so he couldn’t play any more. When I watched the games, I thought it would be fun to try.…
The softball field is the one place I’ve always been comfortable, content. When I step onto the field nothing else exists; I don’t have work, an exam to worry about, or a long list of chores to complete. Ever since I was young I knew I wanted to play college level softball. Making it into the NCAA has always been a dream of mine. My first encounter with the field occurred when I was six.…
For most of my life I have played competitive softball. Throughout softball my career, I have witnessed many different types of parents and players. Every parent acts differently when it is their child on the field playing. Some are enthusiastic, and others are just chilling on the stands. Over the years I have managed to narrow different types of softball moms into three different categories: the Number One Fans, the Crazies, the Wanna Be Coaches, and the Fun Suckers.…
When you look back on pictures of your early childhood, you realize how much enjoyment you had in the past, playing the sport you loved. For me, it was playing softball ever since I was a little girl and watching my sister play ball and longing to be just like her. I remember the long Friday nights that I thought would never end because of practice or the early Saturday mornings waking up at six o’clock to be at the field ready for warm up for another full day of softball. Looking back on those times, I reminisce but do not regret any of those moments. It made me a better person inside and out; it allowed me to develop critical leadership abilities, communication skills, confidence and self-poise that still carry with me today.…
Leeman Bennett once said, “A winner is someone who sets their goals, commits themselves to those goals and then pursues their goals with all the ability that God has given them. That requires someone who believes in himself or herself, who will make self-sacrifices, work hard, and maintain the determination to perform at the best of their ability” (“Running”). This is the mind set of every great softball player, and in order to have this mind set, players must acknowledge and appreciate the history of the sport. Understanding that softball is a unique sport with a rich history that has greatly impacted the world and has both influenced and been influenced by all of the people it involves is an important aspect of being successful in the sport.…
Back in 2014, my sophomore year in high school, was when I first started playing softball. I never thought a sport was going to make a huge impact in my life. I’ve always had a huge passion for sports, but sadly I didn’t join any sports until I got to high school. Not to brag, but I was a good athlete and still am. The very first time I stepped on a softball field, it was love at first sight.…
It all started in third grade when my parents got an email asking if I wanted to do traveling softball. I had just finished my first season of VAA softball and my friend Katie and I decided it sounded like fun. I didn't really know what it meant to be on a travelling softball team back then, I just thought it would be as laid back as VAA. My first year I loved it and I had lots of fun and made lots of new friends. I would practice with my dad often so that I could get better.…
I have been playing baseball every since I could hold a bat. Baseball has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. Both my parents, my older brother, and my two sisters played baseball. As you can see, baseball runs in my family. I also play football, so I am very athletic and competitive.…
There has been bruises, cuts, scrapes, tears, sprains and breaks but they’ve all been worth it. The five A.M. wake ups, the long, midnight drives home, and the early Sunday practices are all worth it. Worth feeling the rush of rounding third, ready to score or the feeling of the ball jumping off the bat. Throughout my twelve years of experience, I have made countless sacrifices for softball but they have all been worth it because of the way the game has influenced me as a person and my life overall. Softball has impacted me by teaching me indispensable lessons.…
Even as a little fifth grader, new to volleyball, at the height of 4’10, I grew a love for setting and trained for it as often as I could. For my first two years of playing I never was on an actual team, but anytime I got to work in the gym I would automatically want to be setting. Once I entered seventh grade and middle school ball started I strived even harder to get the spot as setter, but for it being my first year I was okay with not being chosen as a setter. Once my eighth grade season started though, everything changed. I still was able to set for club, but my school coach had other opinions.…