It is not just a game; it is not simply a sport. For me, it could not be classified as an “extracurricular activity.” Softball is a huge part of my life. Not to knock other sports, but not everyone can be a softball player. Not everyone can drill their brains so that seven different options for each pitch come to mind routinely in an instant. It is a hard game; trials and tribulations are inevitable, but therefore, it is great competition.

It’s weird that I’m not playing softball this spring. This is the first spring season since I was seven that I am not on a softball team. I considered playing softball in college, a major reason why I spent a Post-Graduate year of study at Phillips Academy. I talked to a few coaches but ultimately decided that I would rather focus on my academics. Now, when the sun shines as I walk to class and the smell of fresh cut grass saturates the air, I dream about softball. I definitely don’t regret my decision not to pursue softball in college but it is a significant adjustment.

I’m sure many of you who were adamant athletes in high school feel a sense of detachment in college and long for the days of playing around with the kids you grew up with. Intramurals are great but there isn’t that same sense of competitiveness and camaraderie as your hometown sports teams.

I had a real attachment with my high school teams and this connection was realized last year while playing at boarding school with an entirely new set of girls. The best part of high school sports is that while playing hard you laugh even harder and make countless memories over the years.

In the final inning of a tournament game of my senior year, my coach replaced the seniors and left a proposed situation for next season on the field. As the younger girls hustled to their positions and I jogged back to the dugout, something comparable to our pitcher’s inside curveball hit my heart. I felt like I was turning in my uniform already