24 | Embracing the Journey: A Solo Softball Reflection

[00:00:00] Welcome back everyone to Catching You. I'm your co-host Rusty Ham.

[00:00:05] In today's episode, Lacey asked me if she can do a solo cast.

[00:00:11] So I said of course and so she rocked it. Enjoy what she has to say.

[00:00:16] And this really has to pertain to the young girls out there.

[00:00:20] And I hope you get some good nuggets out of it.

[00:00:23] Take care and we'll see you on the other side.

[00:00:26] Hello and welcome to Catching You, A Dad and Daughters Softball Journey.

[00:00:30] I'm Rusty, a dad who's been in the dugout and on the sidelines.

[00:00:34] And I'm Lacey, the daughter whose journey through softball has been filled with incredible wins, tough losses, and so many lessons both on and off the field.

[00:00:42] For the past 16 years we've navigated the highs and lows of softball together, from the local fields to national tournaments and everything in between.

[00:00:51] From the challenges of recruitment during COVID to the mental and emotional rollercoaster that comes with being a student athlete,

[00:00:57] we'll be sharing the perspectives of both the parent and athlete,

[00:01:00] and firsthand experience of the impact of sports on mental health and the importance of support from the sidelines.

[00:01:06] Hello everybody and welcome to the Catching You podcast.

[00:01:11] I'm your co-host Lacey Ham and today is going to be a solo podcast.

[00:01:17] So my dad is not gonna be with me today.

[00:01:21] I'm just gonna be talking with myself for however long I go to today.

[00:01:28] So first, I wanted to get to some questions from some listeners that we have on the podcast.

[00:01:39] We have Elizabeth and Zyla.

[00:01:43] The first question is how many times per week during season did you pitch in 12 U?

[00:01:48] In 14 U playing at PGF level.

[00:01:51] Okay so 12 U and 14 U PGF level, I was pitching I'd say five to six times per week.

[00:02:01] And each time I pitched was a different, I was focusing on something different.

[00:02:09] One day could be a full bullpin doing all my pitches, making sure they're moving, making sure they're placed well,

[00:02:16] and just dialing in all my pitches.

[00:02:19] Another day could be more of a speed day, maybe doing long toss or going as hard as I can off the mound

[00:02:26] to see how fast I can throw just my regular fastball.

[00:02:30] And then some other days would just be maybe a few pitches like my curve or my screw

[00:02:36] and my changeup and my fastball.

[00:02:39] Like it just depends on what you want to work on that day

[00:02:43] and what you think specifically needs to be worked on.

[00:02:46] Say from your pitching coach, they are suggesting things that you work on.

[00:02:51] I would suggest working on those things at home definitely multiple times a week, especially PGF level.

[00:02:57] Teams are much more competitive in PGF, PGF ball.

[00:03:02] So I definitely recommend five to six times a week.

[00:03:05] Give yourself one or two days off during the week to make sure your body gets rest,

[00:03:10] but especially heading into summer now for summer ball, travel ball players, it's a lot

[00:03:16] and it takes a toll on your body and you need to be prepared for that.

[00:03:19] So that's what I suggest.

[00:03:21] And then second question is what's the number one piece of recruiting advice for a 16 year old who's just starting the process?

[00:03:29] Number one piece of advice is to never give up.

[00:03:33] That would be my number one piece of advice.

[00:03:36] I'm going to be open here.

[00:03:37] I did not receive a single call on September 1st, not one, not one call.

[00:03:44] And it hurts.

[00:03:46] It definitely hurts just hearing your friends or your teammates saying,

[00:03:51] yeah, I got called at 12am from this coach and 1am from this coach

[00:03:56] and all this stuff on September 1st, which is the first day of junior year

[00:04:01] or the first day of junior year you can get recruited or talk to college coaches.

[00:04:06] And I did not get a single call.

[00:04:08] So I had to put my head down and go to work.

[00:04:12] And that meant emails, that meant videos on Twitter,

[00:04:17] that meant trying to connect with coaches through my travel ball coaches, anything I could do.

[00:04:25] We had a recruiting coach for my team and it's all about being persistent

[00:04:30] and just emailing every single week those schools that you are interested in

[00:04:35] and also schools that you have never even heard of.

[00:04:38] Do your research.

[00:04:39] There's schools out there that I've never heard of, but girls are so successful

[00:04:44] and those programs are so awesome.

[00:04:46] And you never really know unless you reach out and see what their program is about

[00:04:51] and maybe it's just the right fit for you.

[00:04:53] And I do think that it happens, great things happen to people who work hard

[00:04:59] and really put their head down at work.

[00:05:01] So when I was emailing, I'm doing all this stuff

[00:05:05] and opportunity opened up at San Jose State

[00:05:07] and it was just the perfect opportunity for me to take

[00:05:11] and it came at the right time

[00:05:13] and it didn't have to, it didn't take a call on September 1st for me to do that.

[00:05:18] And yeah, you can play at the Division 1 level

[00:05:21] as long as you never give up, you just keep going with your emails, social media, all of that stuff.

[00:05:28] So just keep going and you never know what opportunity might open up for you.

[00:05:35] So I am doing a social or a solo podcast today

[00:05:42] because I just ended my junior year at San Jose State softball wise.

[00:05:49] I still have a few weeks left, I still have this week, next week

[00:05:53] and then some finals that I need to take.

[00:05:56] So academically not done yet, but softball I am done for my junior year

[00:06:01] which means that I officially only have one year left of playing softball ever

[00:06:10] which is crazy to think about

[00:06:14] and there's been so much that has gone into my softball career

[00:06:18] and I have so many memories, good, bad and ugly

[00:06:23] as we've talked about with my head injury of course

[00:06:26] and it's very surreal and this has been a long journey

[00:06:35] and I don't think it's hit me all yet, I've thought about it this past season

[00:06:39] which is I go through this season and after this season

[00:06:42] I'm officially a senior and then senior year and then I graduate

[00:06:45] and then it's my last year playing softball.

[00:06:48] Some things I've been thinking about have been

[00:06:52] obviously this past season was not very, did not turn up how we wanted it to

[00:06:59] with my team and obviously that's really sad

[00:07:03] and people were asking me how I felt about the season being over

[00:07:06] and I couldn't really tell them because obviously I was upset about how our season went

[00:07:12] I was even more upset about how I performed in some situations

[00:07:16] and I was worried that I was taking all of this whole opportunity,

[00:07:22] this whole dream that I had of playing division one to college

[00:07:26] taking it for granted

[00:07:28] and I thought to myself that I really haven't taken it for granted

[00:07:33] I have been really thankful for this opportunity to play division one college

[00:07:38] that was my dream all along since I was a little girl

[00:07:42] and I get to play some of the most amazing teams

[00:07:44] I've played some former teammates

[00:07:46] I've had incredible moments throughout my career here at San Jose State

[00:07:52] and I have one more year left to really leave a legacy here

[00:07:58] which carries on to people asking me

[00:08:03] Lacey what do you want your legacy to be when you leave softball

[00:08:07] which is a really big question

[00:08:10] and honestly it's true when they tell you that you're not going to remember the wins, the losses

[00:08:16] your stats, what your ERA is, what your batting average is

[00:08:20] all of that stuff you're only going to remember what that sport gave you

[00:08:26] and what you took from it

[00:08:28] and what it's gave me has been friendship

[00:08:32] it's given me so many life skills that I didn't know I could even have

[00:08:37] pretty much the basic ones like responsibility, hard work, dedication

[00:08:43] also being dedicated to your academics

[00:08:46] because academics is huge when it comes to being recruited

[00:08:50] yeah just so many life skills that I could take into

[00:08:54] other places like when I go into the workplace and everything like that

[00:08:59] so I've made tremendous growth as a person here in college I feel like

[00:09:06] and that's what I'm going to take away from playing this sport

[00:09:12] I'm not going to look back when I married, have kids and all that stuff

[00:09:17] and they're going to ask me

[00:09:19] I'm not going to think about what my ERA was

[00:09:22] like that's not who encompasses

[00:09:24] that's not what makes me a great softball player honestly

[00:09:28] yes some of the most amazing pitchers in college history

[00:09:32] have very low ERAs and everything like that

[00:09:35] but for me

[00:09:38] especially being here at a school in the mountain west

[00:09:43] that's not it shouldn't determine who I am as a person

[00:09:47] and we've talked about how

[00:09:51] your sport does not determine what type or the person you are

[00:09:56] it's just something you do and it's not who you are

[00:09:59] you also

[00:10:01] you play a sport, you don't do a sport

[00:10:04] you're not going to go do softball

[00:10:06] I'm going to go play softball

[00:10:08] it's definitely been a little bit of a mindset shift for me

[00:10:12] I do have a lot of passion for what I do

[00:10:17] in multiple areas not just softball

[00:10:20] so we have mentioned before that I am a bit of a perfectionist

[00:10:25] when it comes to things and I do definitely get that from softball

[00:10:29] so that may be a con, maybe a pro doesn't

[00:10:32] we don't know yet but

[00:10:34] yeah it's been a long road and

[00:10:38] I am really just going to remember what this sport has given me

[00:10:43] and

[00:10:45] I want other girls listening to this who are playing softball

[00:10:49] maybe another sport that really cherished those little moments

[00:10:53] with your friends, with your teammates

[00:10:55] with your coaches, with your family

[00:10:58] when you're on road trips

[00:11:00] going to the championship in rec ball or travel ball

[00:11:04] getting those medals, getting those trophies

[00:11:07] even when you don't get those medals, don't get those trophies

[00:11:11] what did you do after those moments to come back and fight

[00:11:15] and be a champion the next one

[00:11:18] it's definitely what you take from it instead of

[00:11:21] looking on it from an inside perspective

[00:11:24] it's not about the ERA, it's really not

[00:11:27] and it's all about the friendships I've made here

[00:11:31] I have incredible friends I have made here in San Jose

[00:11:35] and I never even knew that could be a thing for me

[00:11:41] I never even knew where San Jose was on a map

[00:11:44] probably my sophomore year of high school

[00:11:46] and it's crazy how things turn out

[00:11:49] in people's lives and that's

[00:11:53] it's just incredible honestly

[00:11:56] and going into my last year here

[00:11:59] I'm really, I'm trying to take more time to reflect

[00:12:02] and be in the present

[00:12:04] a lot of people have told me to really

[00:12:09] just stay present in where you are right now

[00:12:12] and not really think about the future so much

[00:12:14] and I do sometimes have a problem with that honestly

[00:12:18] I think about what's my life gonna be like without softball

[00:12:21] what am I gonna do work out wise

[00:12:23] I'm not gonna have scheduled 7am lifts anymore

[00:12:26] I'm not gonna have scheduled 2 and a half hour practices

[00:12:29] with my team anymore

[00:12:31] and a lot of athletes get lost after not having that routine anymore

[00:12:35] so that's something I've been thinking about a lot to myself as well

[00:12:39] and career wise like you're expected out of college

[00:12:45] to get a career with what's your next job gonna be

[00:12:49] and what all this stuff are all those questions being asked

[00:12:52] and honestly it's really hard to stay present

[00:12:55] when those questions are being asked to you

[00:12:57] and I'm trying to stay present

[00:13:00] and then all these outside noises trying to

[00:13:03] lead me off track and lead me down a road

[00:13:06] that I do not wanna go down

[00:13:08] especially for my senior year when I

[00:13:10] wanna really enjoy the last few moments I have playing that sport

[00:13:13] being in the circle

[00:13:15] I never knew it would come so fast

[00:13:18] it's very hard thing to think about

[00:13:22] but just trying to stay present

[00:13:24] I have this whole summer to really get to work

[00:13:28] and this fall is gonna be an important fall

[00:13:32] I've made some great connections on my team

[00:13:36] and have a lot of connections out here in San Jose

[00:13:39] and I'm excited I think I'm getting to the point where I'm excited

[00:13:43] for my senior year

[00:13:45] I think about the last few classes I get to take

[00:13:49] putting on that cap and gown

[00:13:51] and getting my degree

[00:13:54] and that's a huge accomplishment

[00:13:56] that I think is just so undermined sometimes

[00:14:00] that it's expected of you to go to college

[00:14:03] right out of high school, get that degree

[00:14:05] go to work all that stuff

[00:14:07] but going back to staying in the present

[00:14:09] and just reflecting on all the hard work

[00:14:12] that I've done to throughout this whole journey

[00:14:15] and it's been a long road

[00:14:17] and I'm really excited to see what happens

[00:14:20] my senior year

[00:14:22] and I just want to talk about a few things

[00:14:25] that I've been thinking about

[00:14:28] that's more than being present

[00:14:31] and some of the other things that are important

[00:14:34] going into or even just thinking about

[00:14:37] while you're playing your sport

[00:14:39] especially softball since that is my expertise

[00:14:41] but I think some of these things can

[00:14:44] go into other sports as well

[00:14:46] so I have the importance of goals

[00:14:50] so I

[00:14:53] I think I've said before

[00:14:55] how important goal setting is

[00:14:57] and the difference between

[00:15:00] my sophomore year and my junior year

[00:15:04] so my sophomore year after my freshman year ended

[00:15:07] I had a list of goals that I wrote down

[00:15:09] and I hung up that I could see every single day

[00:15:12] and my sophomore year I didn't accomplish

[00:15:14] any of those goals

[00:15:16] and that could be seen as a setback

[00:15:18] it can be seen as in a very negative light

[00:15:21] I'm like I didn't accomplish any of my goals

[00:15:24] that's terrible

[00:15:26] but there are things

[00:15:29] there are some goals in there that I

[00:15:32] would have I needed to do something differently

[00:15:36] in order to achieve those goals

[00:15:38] and my

[00:15:41] I think the difference between my sophomore year

[00:15:44] and my junior year so my junior year

[00:15:46] I actually got to check off two goals

[00:15:48] which was picture of the week for the mountain west

[00:15:51] and 4.0 my fall semester of school

[00:15:56] so those were two goals that I had on my goal sheet

[00:15:59] that I got to check off this year which is awesome

[00:16:01] and I think

[00:16:04] the difference was

[00:16:07] I had my goals my sophomore year

[00:16:10] and I was so hyper fixated on reaching them

[00:16:14] immediately that I was getting so angry at myself

[00:16:18] when I eat week after week during season

[00:16:21] I was not accomplishing them

[00:16:23] and I started to really get down on myself

[00:16:27] and really think in a negative light about myself

[00:16:31] and that can really harm

[00:16:34] your mental state as an athlete

[00:16:36] you have these goals you haven't accomplished them

[00:16:39] you didn't accomplish them all season

[00:16:41] and now you're like what can I do

[00:16:43] what did I do wrong that I didn't do

[00:16:46] correctly to achieve those goals

[00:16:50] and then my junior year

[00:16:52] I got my 4.0 in the fall

[00:16:56] was my first one

[00:16:58] and then I got picture of the week

[00:17:01] a few weeks into my into season

[00:17:04] and I realize now that

[00:17:07] I wasn't so hyper fixated on those goals

[00:17:10] and I think it's important to be gently reminded

[00:17:13] of those goals once in a while

[00:17:15] but if they constantly are part of your thoughts

[00:17:18] just every single day

[00:17:20] every minute every hour

[00:17:23] you're not going to leave room for yourself to

[00:17:26] give yourself grace

[00:17:28] I thought about that a lot this year

[00:17:30] was giving myself grace in moments where

[00:17:32] I did have a lot of trouble

[00:17:34] and you don't reach a certain goal one time

[00:17:37] alright

[00:17:39] it's okay that I didn't reach that goal

[00:17:42] what can I do differently

[00:17:45] what little things do I need to change

[00:17:47] in order to reach that goal

[00:17:49] little by little you can see a difference

[00:17:52] if you commit to something that you're going to do

[00:17:55] to reach that goal

[00:17:57] so

[00:17:59] for my 4.0 in the fall

[00:18:01] I made a promise to myself that

[00:18:04] I would study

[00:18:06] at least a week before every exam

[00:18:09] and that's consistent studying for maybe about 30

[00:18:13] to 45 minutes of that certain class before that exam

[00:18:16] every single day for a week

[00:18:18] before

[00:18:20] so set exam

[00:18:22] and I did so much better than I have

[00:18:25] in the previous years

[00:18:28] and I got a 4.0

[00:18:30] and I really

[00:18:32] thought that

[00:18:34] being committed to just a little thing

[00:18:38] pushed me to go a long way

[00:18:41] with my academics and then for the picture of the week

[00:18:44] I really thought about

[00:18:46] just staying loose and playing free

[00:18:49] and not putting so much pressure on myself

[00:18:51] and that was a little mindset shift

[00:18:53] that I really had to think about

[00:18:55] going into my season

[00:18:57] that helped me get to that point

[00:18:59] and for that weekend it really worked for me

[00:19:02] did it work the rest of the season

[00:19:04] I'm not really sure

[00:19:06] I think

[00:19:08] I went through ups and downs with my mental

[00:19:11] throughout the whole season which

[00:19:13] it took a toll on me for a little bit

[00:19:16] but the positive thing is

[00:19:18] I checked off two goals off my goal sheet

[00:19:21] and I'm excited for my senior year to check off more

[00:19:24] and there's just going to be little changes

[00:19:26] I'm not going to hyper fixate on them

[00:19:28] every single day

[00:19:30] little changes in my life that are going to

[00:19:32] propel me to achieve those goals

[00:19:34] and

[00:19:36] yeah, that's what I have for goals

[00:19:38] is not to really engulf yourself

[00:19:40] and trying to reach them immediately

[00:19:42] it takes time

[00:19:44] and it takes just minor adjustments

[00:19:46] that can really be beneficial

[00:19:48] and it takes reflection

[00:19:50] it takes you sitting down reflecting with yourself

[00:19:52] and being like what do I need to do

[00:19:54] what are some little things I can change

[00:19:56] to reach those goals

[00:19:58] and then

[00:20:00] another thing I wanted to point out

[00:20:02] was

[00:20:04] I think more

[00:20:06] the mental side of

[00:20:08] being an athlete

[00:20:10] multiple times I've just felt like

[00:20:12] that my hard work

[00:20:14] these past

[00:20:16] so I started when I was 5

[00:20:18] I'm 21

[00:20:20] 15

[00:20:22] 16

[00:20:24] 16 years

[00:20:26] 16 years of playing softball

[00:20:28] I've had my moments

[00:20:30] when I'm out there performing after a bad game

[00:20:32] and I say

[00:20:34] think to myself that my hard work has been

[00:20:36] for nothing

[00:20:38] and

[00:20:40] that gives me a lot of time

[00:20:42] and

[00:20:44] that critic in your head

[00:20:46] it can really

[00:20:48] just slap you in the face sometimes

[00:20:50] and it really makes you feel down

[00:20:52] and makes you think that

[00:20:54] all the hard work you put in

[00:20:56] all the blood sweat tears

[00:20:58] that you put into this

[00:21:00] thing that you're so passionate about

[00:21:02] it's been for nothing

[00:21:04] and honestly I've had to take a long time

[00:21:06] to figure out that's not true

[00:21:08] and honestly

[00:21:10] my

[00:21:12] honest

[00:21:14] my very big dream when I was little

[00:21:16] was to play college softball

[00:21:18] that was the dream

[00:21:20] every little girl dreams of going to UCLA

[00:21:22] Oklahoma

[00:21:24] Oregon

[00:21:26] U of A

[00:21:28] Pac-12, SEC

[00:21:30] all those colleges and

[00:21:32] don't get me wrong

[00:21:34] so many girls are talented out there

[00:21:36] they have

[00:21:40] incredible athleticism

[00:21:42] they have incredible

[00:21:44] strength and

[00:21:46] they know what it takes to get there

[00:21:48] and obviously

[00:21:50] I had a few setbacks through my journey

[00:21:52] and

[00:21:54] it was hard for me

[00:21:56] to

[00:21:58] come to college

[00:22:00] and realize that there's going to be setbacks

[00:22:02] you think once you

[00:22:04] get to senior year

[00:22:06] you're like and you commit to

[00:22:08] college you're going to be like oh this is all I've been

[00:22:10] dreaming of blah blah blah

[00:22:12] and then you get here and you think it's going to

[00:22:14] be smooth sailing you're going to do great

[00:22:16] you committed to a college

[00:22:18] that you just love and

[00:22:20] you're in a competitive environment

[00:22:22] all this stuff and

[00:22:24] sometimes that's just not the case

[00:22:26] especially with like certain games

[00:22:28] certain weekends

[00:22:30] and you think to yourself maybe

[00:22:32] am I good enough to be here

[00:22:34] and what I want to say

[00:22:36] is that there's a reason

[00:22:38] there's a reason for everything

[00:22:40] there's a reason why I'm here

[00:22:42] at San Jose State there's a reason

[00:22:44] why I

[00:22:46] play here

[00:22:48] there's a reason why I

[00:22:50] got the opportunity to play division one softball

[00:22:52] after such a

[00:22:54] horrific incident that I thought

[00:22:56] I would never be able to play softball again

[00:22:58] and so

[00:23:00] I've

[00:23:02] back to reflecting I've had to

[00:23:04] reflect for a while

[00:23:06] on

[00:23:08] that I'm just making my younger

[00:23:10] self proud by just

[00:23:12] being here and just being

[00:23:14] present in this very

[00:23:16] moment in this playing division one college

[00:23:18] getting my degree studying

[00:23:20] something that I'm so passionate about and so

[00:23:24] I'm

[00:23:26] my hard work has not been for nothing

[00:23:28] and any of you listening your hard work

[00:23:30] is not for nothing you just have

[00:23:32] to keep going you can never

[00:23:34] ever give up

[00:23:36] and like I said about recruiting

[00:23:38] some girls are just put back

[00:23:40] with how much work goes into

[00:23:42] in the recruiting process and

[00:23:44] if that is your dream and that's what

[00:23:46] you wanted to do since you were little

[00:23:48] and you want to go play college

[00:23:50] softball there's a lot of work that goes into it

[00:23:52] and

[00:23:54] when there's going to be opportunities

[00:23:56] that get taken away from you and

[00:23:58] coaches that say no and all this stuff

[00:24:00] and you cannot

[00:24:02] give up there's a program out there for

[00:24:04] you and

[00:24:06] whether that's D1 D2 D3

[00:24:08] NAA there's an opportunity for you to go

[00:24:10] there and

[00:24:12] you just have to be persistent

[00:24:14] and find your home and find

[00:24:16] what fits for you and

[00:24:18] there's a reason why

[00:24:20] you are where you are

[00:24:22] and I think like good things

[00:24:24] happen right I said before good things

[00:24:26] happen to people who work hard

[00:24:28] and don't give up and so

[00:24:30] there's going to be opportunities that

[00:24:32] just

[00:24:34] don't work like don't work for you like

[00:24:36] even in the real world when

[00:24:38] you get fired from it or

[00:24:40] not fired but

[00:24:42] you interview for a job and they say no

[00:24:44] or

[00:24:46] you know you

[00:24:48] take a class

[00:24:50] and you have to drop it or something

[00:24:52] like that and

[00:24:54] there's multiple areas in life where you're

[00:24:56] going to be put down

[00:24:58] and you're going to have to

[00:25:00] stand back up you're not going to stay

[00:25:02] you're not going to stay on the ground you have to

[00:25:04] stand back up because that's how life works

[00:25:06] and you need to keep moving

[00:25:08] and like my grandma says it

[00:25:10] keep plugging along

[00:25:12] and that's

[00:25:14] you

[00:25:16] make yourself proud

[00:25:18] is what I'm trying to say

[00:25:20] and whatever that means for you

[00:25:22] whatever you have to do

[00:25:24] in order whatever you think

[00:25:26] makes yourself proud or makes your little

[00:25:28] self proud go out

[00:25:30] and do it

[00:25:32] and yeah just

[00:25:35] there's going to be excuses here and there

[00:25:37] the little critic in your head is going to make excuses

[00:25:39] for why you shouldn't be doing something

[00:25:41] or why you don't want to go out

[00:25:43] and pitch into your backyard by yourself

[00:25:45] or you don't want to go hit on a tee

[00:25:47] there's going to be that little boy saying

[00:25:49] well I don't want to I could just lay

[00:25:51] in bed and watch a movie

[00:25:53] yeah I don't want to I'm just really tired

[00:25:57] but how are you going to make yourself proud

[00:25:59] by doing that or by listening to that critic

[00:26:03] but obviously listen to your body and listen to your mind

[00:26:05] and if you need rest and if you're pushing yourself

[00:26:07] too hard your body is going to tell you

[00:26:09] of course those are two things

[00:26:11] that I've really thought about recently is the importance

[00:26:13] of goals but not

[00:26:15] over hyper fixating on it

[00:26:17] and also making yourself proud

[00:26:19] whether it's your current self or your past self

[00:26:21] and what does it take

[00:26:23] for you to make

[00:26:25] what does it take for you to make yourself proud

[00:26:29] and do those things that make yourself proud

[00:26:31] and

[00:26:33] obviously you want to make the others

[00:26:35] around you proud obviously I want to make my parents

[00:26:37] proud and my coaches

[00:26:39] and my teammates and everyone around me I want to impress

[00:26:41] all of them but at the end of the day

[00:26:43] make yourself proud

[00:26:47] and

[00:26:49] I just want to end on

[00:26:51] that

[00:26:53] whoever's listening

[00:26:55] like the younger girls

[00:26:57] that are playing softball

[00:26:59] or other sports

[00:27:01] parents

[00:27:03] we have a parent

[00:27:05] parent

[00:27:07] child podcast really make the most of it

[00:27:09] really make the most of it

[00:27:11] I have

[00:27:13] one more year left

[00:27:15] I've thought about all the road trips I went on

[00:27:17] with my family

[00:27:19] to Colorado

[00:27:21] Oklahoma

[00:27:23] Florida

[00:27:25] Oregon

[00:27:27] Arizona

[00:27:29] Utah

[00:27:31] gosh I've been everywhere

[00:27:33] really making the most of those moments

[00:27:35] and really making those

[00:27:37] trips those tournaments

[00:27:39] those games

[00:27:41] very memorable

[00:27:43] in a positive way

[00:27:45] and this goes for both the child

[00:27:47] and the parent

[00:27:49] there's obviously going to be tournaments that

[00:27:51] don't

[00:27:53] work out in your favor and you guys go

[00:27:55] O and 2 or something like that

[00:27:57] you guys don't qualify for PGF

[00:27:59] but what I do remember about those

[00:28:01] tournaments is the fun I had

[00:28:03] with my teammates

[00:28:05] the

[00:28:07] things I did with my family

[00:28:09] over those trips

[00:28:11] when we lost in Tenu Nationals

[00:28:13] in Tennessee we went on a

[00:28:15] family and we stayed in the mountains

[00:28:17] and we did all these cool activities

[00:28:19] together and that's one thing

[00:28:21] I'll always remember and it was a softball

[00:28:23] tournament and so those are the things I'll

[00:28:25] always remember is definitely or staying

[00:28:27] in the hotel with your teammates and hanging

[00:28:29] out in the lobby with the parents

[00:28:31] and just all of those things

[00:28:33] making the most of those little moments

[00:28:35] is going to because it's all going to end one day

[00:28:37] you know and so this is my last

[00:28:39] year that my family is going to watch me

[00:28:41] play and it's all

[00:28:43] coming to a wraps and I just reflect

[00:28:45] on those tournaments that they got to come

[00:28:47] to or that they didn't get

[00:28:49] to go to or all those

[00:28:51] little things right and just cherishing

[00:28:53] those memories that I have with them

[00:28:55] throughout my softball career

[00:28:57] and just one more year of it is

[00:28:59] crazy but wherever you

[00:29:01] are right now Tenu all the way

[00:29:03] to 18u even in college

[00:29:05] just really being where your feet are

[00:29:07] okay

[00:29:09] and then as an athlete just to

[00:29:11] remember that you are not just a softball player

[00:29:13] you are also

[00:29:15] a human being with real feelings

[00:29:17] and real emotions and

[00:29:19] that can never be taken away from

[00:29:21] you but also softball has made me the person I am today

[00:29:25] so really just taking those little things

[00:29:27] that softball or any sport has

[00:29:29] given you and taking it

[00:29:31] into a positive light

[00:29:33] and just really

[00:29:35] not being consumed by

[00:29:37] all the practice and

[00:29:39] all that stuff that it can really

[00:29:41] consume you and

[00:29:43] just really remembering what

[00:29:45] makes you and what you enjoy

[00:29:47] outside of softball as well

[00:29:49] which I mean

[00:29:51] now that I am done with the season

[00:29:53] I can do

[00:29:55] what I love maybe hang out with my friends

[00:29:57] a little bit more or go out

[00:29:59] and connect with nature

[00:30:01] whatever it is just finding those

[00:30:03] little things that you enjoy outside of your sport

[00:30:05] as well can really

[00:30:07] be a positive thing in your life that can

[00:30:14] and honestly I feel like I perform better

[00:30:16] when I feel like I am not being

[00:30:18] all consumed by my sport

[00:30:22] and it is important to

[00:30:24] with it like at practice

[00:30:26] to really dial in

[00:30:28] and be locked in and your

[00:30:30] but after practice you got class

[00:30:32] you got some homework

[00:30:34] just you cook yourself a meal

[00:30:36] and take those moments

[00:30:38] to not really think about

[00:30:40] and drain yourself of those softball

[00:30:42] thoughts I've had to really

[00:30:44] come to terms with that and be like

[00:30:46] I have other things to do I can't be dwelling

[00:30:48] on my bullpen that I had this morning

[00:30:50] that wasn't so good just really finding those

[00:30:52] things that you love if you need a break

[00:30:54] just really take that time to yourself

[00:30:56] and find time for yourself

[00:30:58] to really take a break

[00:31:00] mentally reset

[00:31:02] and get back to work

[00:31:04] alright so

[00:31:06] that's all I got for you guys today

[00:31:08] I'll catch you on the other side

[00:31:10] love you dad

[00:31:13] I don't know what he's doing right now

[00:31:15] but love you

[00:31:17] bye guys