From the time I was in 2nd grade until I graduated from high school, I played softball - a couple of years I played on two teams at the same time. It was part of who I was, and one of the groups that gave me a place to belong; a place where I felt comfortable. It taught me teamwork, cooperation, leadership, and patience. Every year I looked forward to the beginning of the season - the sore muscles, the excitement of a new season, the smell of grass and dirt and leather and bubble gum, and the satisfying "thunk" of hitting the sweet spot on the bat (yes, "thunk", because a good wood bat beat an aluminum one any day in my book). I was never the best player on the field - I was slow and didn't have a great deal of power - but I loved playing and I worked at it, and I had a decent arm. My first few seasons I played the outfield, mostly right and center. Due to a rough practice field one year, I developed a few of grounders (too many of them hit a rough spot and popped me in the face) so the coach decided to cure me of my fear by putting me at catcher. I fell in love with the position and, except for an occasional stint at 1st base, stayed there for the next 8 or so seasons (and my knees know it now!). I played Little League, for Lockhart Jr. High, and for Edgewater High School. Many of us on the LJHS and EHS teams started playing together way back in 2nd grade, and some of us are still friends today. The only real drawback to going to Troy State for college was that there was no softball team until the end of my last year, so, sadly, my career ended when I graduated from high school.
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