“I have been playing softball for 8 years. I decided to start playing because a close family friend played and she would always play catch with me, and I would go to her tournaments. That family friend, Kayla, pushed me to start playing by always encouraging me and practicing with me. I have considered quitting because of the toll softball takes on you both physically and mentally. Also, it occupies lots of my time, but I’ve never been able to quit because I love the game and I would miss it too much. The hardest part about playing is being consistent and dealing with failure. Softball is a game of failure, and sometimes things don’t always work out in your favor, but you have to be mentally strong and learn to make adjustments. The best part about playing softball is forming such a strong bond with all of your teammates and being able to trust all of them. No colleges have shown interest in me yet since I’m only a sophomore. I would consider playing in college because not only do I love the game, but because any amount of scholarship helps. Right now, I play for both a select team and my high school team. The most rewarding thing about softball is having a place where you fit in, where you love what you do, and who you do it with. Although softball can leave me frustrated and upset, I never regretted starting to play because without softball I wouldn’t be the person I am today.”