The end of the back to school tour

I'm very sad to see the back to school tour end! I've very much enjoyed following it and learning about all these different college teams! There are some really good ones out there that you just never hear about! One thing this tour has shown me or maybe more liked made even more apparent for me was the need to keep fighting for this sport! As I followed the tour I was just blown away by the amount of talent on all of these teams!

I also have to say for the NPF girls this tour has made it more apparent to me just how dedicated they are to this sport, their fans, and the NPF! These girls give up so much to play this sport they love! They spend countless hours on red eyes from here to there! They spend countless hours working out and keeping themselves in shape. They spend countless hours on the field playing! They spend countless hours signing autograph after autograph after autograph! They spend countless hours doing clinics and giving lessons! And they do it because they want to and they love it(maybe not all the time but for the most part they love it!)! If we all found one thing to be that dedicated to, how different would the world be?

I also have to say there are some amazing coaches out there! You can probably guess that I'm a big Coach Tarr fan but there are alot of really dedicated amazing coaches out there at all levels! They aren't generally talked about or noticed! I just want to say thank you to all of them right now because without them none of this would be possible! They are the silent leaders of their teams. They also put in hard long hours and give up alot! They are very dedicated to this sport and helping to make their players better people and players! Without great coaches softball just wouldn't be what it is!

As I end this blog I just want to say thank you to the NPF, the USSSA, all the colleges, their coaches, their players, the behind the scenes people who you don't think about, the people who kept us updated, and the NPF softball players for an amazing tour! You all are amazing! I can't speak for any of the other fans but I am very much enjoyed this tour!! There were some really great memories for all of us!

86 days until Husky softball!! Woohoo! It will be so so weird and kind of sad for me without Danielle Lawrie(and also Aly, Amanda, and  Bailey!!) but still can't wait!! Let's go Dawgs!!

What softball means to me!

 I decided to start a blog to write down my thoughts. Most of it will be about softball but I will probably throw in other things as well lol! Softball seems to have always been apart of my life even though I've never actually played. I am so clumsy and I'm not known for my athletic abilities. But I remember as a child going during the summer several times a week and watching my dad play slow pitch. It was great and I have great memories of that. My Mom played softball growing up and loved it. We've watched softball whenever it was on TV for as long as I can remember. It's just always been there. But I don't think I really was really really into it until 2007! As I watched the Woman's College World Series I was totally pulled in by an amazing pitcher. I'd seen pitchers that I liked all my life but there was just something special about this one! The pitcher I was watching was Danielle Lawrie and she was the pitcher for the University of Washington Huskies! They were eventually knocked out the tournament but she really made an impression on me! As most of you who are going to be reading this know she red shirted the next year so she could play in the Olympics for Canada.

I watched beyond excited in 2009 as she came roaring back and led her team to a National Championship! I remember how excited I was and thinking that if I was this excited man how excited are they? It was an amazing thing to watch and I still love to look back at the videos and articles and remember that day!

I ,like every other Husky fan, hoped and prayed they would repeat in 2010! It was a close call in Super Regionals against Oklahoma. They lost the first game 6-1 and Lawrie gave up an unheard of (for her anyway) 5 homeruns! But she bounced back and had 2 amazing games the next night to send the Huskies back to Oklahoma City and to the Women's College World Series. I felt good about things and truly thought they would bounce back and if not repeat go along way. But again as most of you who will be reading this know that wasn't how the cards fell. They lost two games and were knocked out before the tournament even really got started. I knew no matter what happened these were Danielle Lawrie's final games as a Husky but I don't think I really understood what that would feel like until it was there. I know I was no where near as sad and disappointed as her and the team but my heart ached for them all! I was so sad. I was sad because they got beat. But the bigger sadness (if that make sense) was in knowing that 4 amazing careers were over. I didn't expect the emotions I felt that day. They took me off guard. I knew I would be sad but never expected the hot tears that streamed down my shocked face as I watched the interview they did with Danielle Lawrie after the game. I felt so broken for her as I watched her fight an impossible battle to keep her composure as she talked about her career and her team. It just seemed so unfair! Many emotions went through me that day but the one thing that remained steadfast was pride! I was so proud of Danielle Lawrie and the rest of the team! They may not have repeated but that group of women and coaches will always be winners and champions in my eyes! They now have a lifetime fan in me!

 I've always watched sports. My favorite (other than softball) being football! I've watched many young men's college careers end and never felt as sad as I did at that moment. It took me several weeks to finally figure out why. For those football players it's not really the end. It's the beginning for them! They will have the opportunity to go play in the NFL. Their careers have just begun. But that isn't the case for softball players. I didn't know at the time but there is a professional softball league! The league is called the NPF (National Pro Fast pitch) and it consists of 4 teams. The USSSA Florida Pride, the Chicago Bandits, the Tennessee Diamonds, and the Akron Racers! Unfortunately it has neither the spaces nor the money the NFL, MLB, or NBA have. It, like most of women's sports, has little money, few spaces, and get's little to no coverage! They are trying to grow these programs and raise awareness but it's not an easy task. One of the things that they did was the Back to School tour this fall (it wraps up this weekend). A group of the NPF all stars went around this fall and played many college teams. I think this is a great thing for both the NPF and the colleges they faced! The more awareness we can bring to the sport the better! Also the Chicago Bandits have just broken ground on their new stadium! I was so excited to find out about this league and to know that Danielle Lawrie and so many other women are getting the chance to use their talent and play the sport they all love and have devoted so much of their life to!

Another hit softball took was when it was removed from the Olympics. I'll never forget as I watched the last softball game of the Olympics when team USA came up just short against an amazing Japanese team and the pain in all of their faces. I'll never forget watching them place their cleats on home plate. The tears and the broken heartedness were overwhelming for everyone who loves the sport! We need to get softball back in the Olympics and we need to support leagues like the NPF for the future of the sport! There are so many girls out there who devote all their time to the sport it should be there for them to continue to play after college at a higher level! Not just girls from America or Canada but girls all over the world!


Here is a link to the NPF website where you can find out more about it!
http://www.profastpitch.com/

I will leave you will a couple of my favorite quotes.
"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened!"
"When the world says give up--hope whispers-- try one more time!"