Three Weeks of Craziness

The past three weeks of my life have been absolutely crazy! I managed to spend only 4 nights at my own house! In the past weeks I have played in three consecutive national tournaments the first in Kansas City, Kansas, second in Rochester, MN, and the third in Sterling, Virginia.

The first two weeks I was playing 16u with my Rochester Royals team. The last week was 18u with the Danes. As I have talked about before, there is a big difference between the two levels. I was forced to adjust very quickly in order to succeed at a higher level.

 During these three weeks my family has put close to 4,000 miles on our car. The drive to Kansas City was about 6 hours while the drive to Virginia was just over 18. It gave us lots of family bonding time, even when that wasn't such a good thing. Since the drive from Sterling was so long we decided to break it up by making a stop in Louisville and also spending a day at Noah's Ark in the Wisconsin Dells.

Since the past month of my life has been focused on all softball all the time I feel that I have learned a ton not only as a hitter but also on defense. On offense I learned how aggressive you need to be early especially when facing good pitchers. Once they give you a pitch to hit, you aren't going to see another one. On defense I learned that I need to play lower and always be moving through the ball. Using these mechanics I saw improvement on my range and my reaction time.

Reflecting on those three weeks, they were my favorite of the summer. I got to do what I love every day, I got to stay at a hotel with my teammates, and I had so many chances for improvement. I can't thank my parents enough for carting my butt all over the country this summer. They have given me the opportunity to play this game all the time and give me full support, what else can you ask for? Even though I tell them every day, thank you guys, I love you so much :)

Perspective

After our loss today we had an amazing opportunity, to help someone learn. The people we got to teach were players from the Bahamas who also were in the tournament and did not win a single game.  As a person who hasn't ever experienced anything like this before it was a great life experience.

Last year the Danes ran a full day clinic to help teach the Bahamians, which I did not attend. This year we did not have a full day, only a matter of 30 minutes to help them with pitching.  All of the girls were so eager to learn to pitch.  My partner was Diva, and man could she throw heat once she had the slightest amount of instruction. We went threw simple drills like the power drive, progressive pitching, pitching with your eyes closed, and pitching from one knee. The girls did great and blossomed under the attention and help of our pitchers. I cant wait to see how much they have improved next year when they see them at this tournament.  

While we were teaching the Bahamians to pitch they were also teaching me. The difference between us and the Bahamians is how eager they are to work hard and learn, how extremely grateful they are, and how much fun they have.

Most kids from the states playing sports work hard for a couple reasons, but the big ones being money and the payoff at the end. The kids from the Bahamas want to work hard simply because they want to get better and don't know any different.  There isn't a big payoff at the end for them, most won't even go to college. 

Second, they are extremely grateful for everything that they have and are given.  That may come from them not having a lot but still. At the end of our clinic they couldn't express how grateful they were. But the huge smiles on their faces were all the thanks that I needed. 

If you watch the Bahamas play you will notice how much fun they have while playing this game because that is exactly what this is to them, a game. The have the perspective that so many of us lack.  They see that not everyone gets the chance to play this game, but they do. They enjoy every opportunity. 

Working them made me gain a better perspective of our whole week.  I realized that yes you can be upset about losing because it is not the result that you wanted. But it is inspiration to keep working hard and getting better. It also reminds me of how grateful I should be. I have a very blessed life that others do not, for that I am extremely thankful. 

I learn tons about softball from the Danes.  But the biggest thing I have learned are life lessons. Lessons that teach me to be a better person, and how I can impact the world in a positive way. 

2013 Pony Nationals in Virginia

As soon as we finished packing Saturday morning (after the Royals had lost out Friday) we began the road trip to Virginia for the 18u PONY Nationals with the Danes. It took us two full days of driving just to get there! But the car ride was just the beginning to this weeks adventure. 

The first day of play we started out with four of our five pool games. The first game was super close in which we lost to the bombers 1-0. Our second game was vs. SE Mass Extreme. It was a tight 2-0 win. Our third game was vs. Ashburn Stars. Before the game we had internet scouted (watched their recruiting video) some of the players on the team and were prepared for a very tight game. The game ended 6-3 in our favor. Our last game of the day was vs. Team Canada. As Tim said, "We are not playing for ourselves, our teammates, or our families, but for our country!! Now kick those maple syrup loving peoples butt!" And that we did! We won for merica in a hard fought 7-3 game!

The next day we only had one game in which we faced the PA Intensity. For my returning teammates it was redemption because the Intensity had knocked them out of the tournament last year. We won the game 10-0  in 5 innings, it was a very good win for our veterans. After we went back to the hotel and took a team nap. I can't tell you how much I have grown to love naps! As soon as everyone was ready to go we headed down to the train station to go to a Nationals game! I finally got to see Bryce Harper in action and he hit a homerun and made a diving catch to top it off! The Braves also hit Harper and almost started a bench clearing brawl. You know it was serious because even the bullpens were cleared haha ;)

In the morning bracket play finally started and we faced Team Mizuno first and won 5-1. We then played the green devils and lost 7-2 and were done for the day. We had a team steak dinner and then headed back to the fields for a light practice. We went through our throwing progression, then worked all defense to stay sharp for tomorrows game, and get lots of reps in doing things the right way. Most teams arrive for warm-ups about an hour before the game. Our warm-up is two hours long. A lot of the time we will have completed dynamic warm-up and have already been hitting for over a half an hour. We get so many more reps than other teams during warm-ups, and that really benefits us when it comes to game time. 

Our first game on Thursday was vs. the Bahamians. We won 10-0 in 5 innings and were on to the next game, a rematch vs. Team Mizuno.  It was 0-0 through the 5th inning when they scored a run. They also scored one in the sixth, but we never had an answer for them. The ending score was 2-0 and we were out of the tournament. Losing to Team Mizuno was very disappointing but especially because of how they acted. They did not play hard, and didn't even seem to want to be there. Their attitudes were all very negative. They could have been a very good team but because of their attitudes, they became average. 

During a whole week tournament you have so much time to learn with as many games as you play and all of the practice time available. Playing next to Megan Champion, a sub for the week, I learned a lot about the little things and how much they count. I also learned to communicate even more when playing next to someone new. Through my failures and successes this week I learned how well I can do but also have to incentive to keep working hard to fix my failures. A huge emphasis this week was how to recover from failure. You have to be able to think about what you should have done, learn from it, and then move on. Because, in our game you are going to get many more opportunities to do it right and if you have not reset yourself mentally, you will probably make another mistake. Even though I was having mechanical issues throughout the tournament, I was still able to put the ball in play to help my team. I had a blast this week doing what I love and cannot wait for our fall season to start in two weeks!

Diving catch on a bunt turned into a double play

Practice/Workouts

From reading my blogs most people would assume that all I do is play games. But that is not the case. I practice softball in some way each and every day to continue to improve and get better.

I use various equipment when I practice that includes balls, bats, gloves, all of the basics, and technology.  I am going to share what an individual hitting practice is like for me.

Last Monday I met one of my teammates Cait Hughes and Coach Tim Husted at the Byron fields for a workout.  We started out hitting off a tee. I did several reps and then Tim asked, why isnt it going over the fence? Hit it over the fence please.  He videotaped a couple of swings and had me watch them. We discussed what needed to happen to achieve the goal. I needed to stay linear longer to get my weight going forward. I also needed more connection because my bottom was releasing too early causing me to swing with only my arms resulting in a loss of power. Next we moved to one armed drills.  We worked my bottom hand to make sure I was releasing in the correct order, hands elbow then shoulder. He challenged me to hit it out of the infield.  After a few attempts I accomplished the goal and was getting it correct every time.  The next drill was my top hand.  This drill was much harder to do and without knowing what you are doing, it is very easy to do incorrectly. Next we flipped my top hand so instead of having one pull and one push hand I had two push. When done correctly you feel an explosion of power off of the bat because you are able to create more bat speed.  It was super awkward at first but once I got the feel of it, I started to excel in the drill.  Next I hit front toss working on staying connected, being late with my hips, and getting as much linear as possible.  We again used video to break down the swing and see what to improve upon. 

After I earned a break and helped warm Cait up for her pitching lesson. I learned a lot about catching and how to frame. I also learned about the river on either side of the plate.  I will say im not envious of catchers having to squat all of that time, but am glad to do it to help my teammate improve.  Catching also gave me an opportunity to work on short hops that I would normally get in a game.  Once she completed her workout, she pitched about 20 live balls to me as Tim watched and videod to see how everything came together live. 

Being able to use video is a huge advantage forbour generation.  We can break swings down into slow mo and see exactly what we need to fix.  10 years ago we did not have the technology as readily available as we do now. As a player I love to take advantage of it to help me improve. 

On a normal day my dad and I will go to the field either in the morning or at night to have a hitting practice and do some defensive work.  At home mid day I convince my brother to take a break from soccer to play catch with me and work throwing mechanics.  Along with drill work 3-4 times a week I have strength and conditioning classes to help me get faster and stronger.  On opposite days of workouts I try to fit in a yoga class or swim laps. 

My ability to practice and improve every day is due to the people around me who give me the opportunity and the help to do so. I thank them each time for their help because it means the world to me as I work to achieve my goals.

16u Nationals in Kansas City

This past week my Royals team traveled to Kansas City for the 16u National Tournament there. We had played in this same tournament twice before when we were in 14u. Our top finish was 4th place so the team was hungry to win it all. We surprised everyone by making a run no one thought we accomplish.

On the first day we won our morning game setting us up to play another in the afternoon. In our second game we faced the Lincoln Storm. It was a very tight game all the way until they pulled away in the 6th inning scoring 3 runs. We ended up losing. The tournament was double elimination, so we were down to our last leg and weren't even close to achieving our goals yet. The next day to survive we had to win five games. Our morning game was a blowout win 9-1, but every other win was a comeback. Our second game we played the Thunder. We had already lost by one in international to them in pool play so we knew it was going to be a very close and high scoring game because of how well they hit the ball. In the bottom of the seventh we scored 3 runs to put us up 10-8. We shut them down in the bottom half and won the game! Our next game was vs The Heat Wave. The score was like a slow pitch game in which our team hit five homeruns and won 19-15! The next game we played the Minnesota Irish. We had played them several times and really wanted to beat them. We scored three runs in the 6th to win the game. Our last game of the day of course had to be the Clutch Hitters. In the second inning we were down 6-1. But we just chipped away and didn't let them score the rest of the game. In the bottom of the seventh we were down once again and we were at the meat of our lineup, Cori Kennedy, me, and then Lexi Ripka. Cori and I both got on and Lexi drove a double up the middle to score Cori. Our next batter hit a sac fly to left on which I scored. We scored three runs that inning to put us up by 1. We held them in the bottom and won!! It was our best comeback yet!! That day we were the first ones at the park and the last ones to leave, it was a long day and we wanted to do it all over again tomorrow.
 Our morning game we won on two home runs, one by Frankie Mickleson and the other by Kali Aldrich in international play. Their hits put us up by two going into the bottom of the ninth inning. We closed out the game and advanced to the next round! Up next was team Nebraska. We had faced them the previous year at nationals in the 15u A tournament in Iowa. We had won that game with three total hits 3-2 in international play. To lead off the game Kali Aldrich homered to put us up 1-0, and it stayed that way until the 5th inning. Cori led off with a double and I homered to score us both. The score was 3-2 and it looked like history was going to repeat itself. But that was not the case, in the bottom of the seventh we lost by one run. It was devastating to finally admit defeat, but we made such a huge run. I am so proud of my teammates and of myself for doing what we did. All of our wins were because everyone did their part. Luckily we are not done yet, we play in the Northern National Tournament being held in Rochester this year. I am looking towards another great week of softball.

Many of you may have seen a trend as I tell you about our games, we are always the away team. Our team has been home team maybe twice this year and chooses to hit every time. We love batting first and having the opportunity to jump on the other team and score first. Plus hitting is the best part, so why wouldn't  we want to hit all the time!

This whole tournament taught me how to play in high pressure games and make comebacks. I also learned how to talk to my teammates in these situations and lead them toward victory. In the beginning innings you need to remain calm and just play ball. As the innings pass you increase the intensity and the energy level. You need to stay up and into the game but not too high. Also when you are down, as a leader, you have to keep them positive and make them believe that we will come back, and we will win. I learned a lot about myself and my teammates this past week and know that we can do great things.

South Dakota Ringneck

It was finally time for the Ringneck tournament in South Dakota. I have played in this tournament for four years now and it is one of my favorites. There is always good competition and we get a chance to see how we stack up against teams around the midwest before heading into ASA State and then Nationals.

For our Friday night game we drew the Clutch Hitters. So we play them AGAIN! This time, not only is it just a pool game, but it counts as the championship of the Eagan Down n' Dirty that got rained out. They threw a pitcher from Kenyon-Wanamingo who several of my teammates and I face every year during high school. We beat them 5-1. It used to be such a deal when we played them in the past, but I think we are starting to get over it and have continued to beat them each time we play. Saturday morning we played the Omaha Echoes. We scored 4 runs in the first inning and that set the tone for the day. We went on to win 14-4 in 4 innings. Our afternoon game was against the Pipestone Pointers. They had got beat up on by the other teams in our bracket, so we coasted through the game and won 9-1. I was upset with our intensity and lack of focus even when we were playing a team that we would easily beat. After a quick pitstop at the track (more info to come) we began our games on Sunday. Our first game of the day was against the Grand Island Scorpions. We won 16-0 in 2 1/2 innings. Our next game was the best of the tournament. We faced the Sioux Falls Diamonds who beat the Extreme (team we beat in international tie breaker during the Eagan Down n' Dirty) by one in their previous game. We scored two runs in the top of the first and things were looking good. Then their first batter hit a leadoff homerun. The scoring came to halt from their until the last two innings. We ended up winning 7-6 in a very close game. Next we played the MN Stealth. We had already faced them 4 times this year and had won each game easily. Today was very different, we had several errors in the first inning, and our bats went quiet (very unusual for our team). We took the game for granted and were handed a 7-4 loss. The Diamonds and the upset by the Stealth team taught me my biggest lessons for the weekend.

First they taught me the truth of the statement, "Respect all, Fear none." In the game vs. the Diamonds, they had just beaten a team that game us a very tough game. But we were not scared and faced them head on. Because of that we played the game the way the Royals play and won. Also we learned you need to respect every one of your opponents. We had lost to them last year at Nationals, but we remained focused and played our best and showed the type of team we can be.

The second thing they taught me was about sportsmanship. During the game vs. the Diamonds one of their players decided to take out two of our girls. First was a play at the plate. I would have done the same thing when it comes to sliding into the catcher. But this girl slid into Cori, kicked up her leg and tried to take out her inside knee. Cori was lucky and just has a swollen knee from the cleat marks. Next was the last play of the game, a tag at second base. Dana our 2nd basemen was received the ball from right field well ahead of the runner getting to the base. The same girl slid through the base to the back where Dana was and took her out. Not only did she cleat her ankle, but as she was getting up she swung her arms and kicked her several more times. Things got out of hand on her side from there. She started laughing as my teammate was on the ground crying. I could do nothing but help to get Dana off of the field and to the trainer. It took so much composure not to lash out at her for doing that to my teammate. To top it off when we were going through the line, she slapped all of our hands. The sad part is that she is a very good ball player and is cheating herself and her abilities by playing dirty. During the Stealth game our parents received a lesson on how not to act. Many of their parents were cheering very arrogantly and saying some not so nice things to us. Even though we lost to them, we showed that we were bigger people when walking through the line. While they sneered and celebrated their win, we just smiled and shook their hands. The difference is that even though we were upset about the loss, we are still truly good people and good sports who know how to handle ourselves. I thank my coaches and especially my parents for never letting me act like that as a young kid, because I see how mean those people seem. I would never want someone to think of me how I think of some of those parents and players.

18u Wisconsin State Tournament in Wausau

When you play at both age levels, you realize there is a huge difference between playing 16s and 18s. This weekend I played the 18u Wisconsin State Tournament in Wausau. It was my first whole weekend playing with the Danes this year.

We started out rough in pool play losing 6-0 to the Badger Blitz and a heart breaker to the Firebirds 3-2. We started bracket play by losing again 2-1 to the Cyclones. Things were not looking bright and we got a well deserved butt chewing. We now were one game away from getting eliminated without winning one game. For me, and especially for the Danes name, that was a very embarrassing idea. The next game was very eye opening as we played the honey badgers (more on why later). We finally pulled out some key hits, earned a win and were still alive in the tournament. The next morning we had a chance for revenge, a rematch against the Firebirds. They threw their ace, Alice Fitgerald, who pitches for the University of Michigan. We played clean on defense, our pitchers did great, Carley Henning hit a two-run homer and I hit a solo one.  We won 3-0!! Next we faced the Wisconsin Elite, and lost 2-0. It was a disappointing loss, but we had proved to ourselves that we do have the stuff to win games.

This weekend presented so many huge learning opportunities. First was how to deal with the weather. In every tournament we have played in there has been rain delays. This weekend we really focused on how to mentally prepare for a game, be able to bring it down during the delay, and when its game time be back up to the focus that you started with. Also we need to remember to control the controllables. We can't control whether it rains or not. We can't do anything but deal with the situation we are in. Remember that the other team is dealing with the same thing you are, the thing that will matter is who is the most adaptable. So do your part and control the controllables.

As I said before the Honey Badgers game was a huge eye opener for me. The game started out with us all watching their pitcher from UW River Falls warm up. She notices this so she glares at us hoping we will stop. We don't she stomps into the dugout and decides to stare right back at us. When she went to warm up on the mound, she had her teammates make a "wall" so we could not see her. When she was up to bat she decided to stare at our coach giving the signs. Things just got out of hand from there. For those of you who know my Coach, Tim Husted, you can imagine how he was reacting to all of this. Not only was this pitcher making herself look very arrogant, but she failed to realize that Tim knows the coach she is going to play for in college very well. We ended up knocking her out of the game and beating them. There are three things to learn from this. 1) You never act that way out on the field, it is an embarrassment to yourself, your parents, and your team. 2) Never overreact to the things the other team is doing, concentrate on your job and don't let them cause you to lose focus 3) You never know who has connections to who, and who is watching you. Always represent yourself in the way you want to be seen by everyone.

This weekend I learned the major differences between hitting at the 16u level and the 18u. It is not the pitches that I am swinging at that cause me to fail, but the pitches that I do not swing at. In 16s I can get away with letting a good pitch go by because I will see another one. In 18s you better be swinging at that good pitch because you may only get one that game. I also learned how important it is to have a plan and to execute. As the game progresses you need to have maximum communication with the other hitters and change your plan to be the most successful. Most pitchers want to throw strike one so that they have the advantage. As a hitter you need to know that and be ready for the good pitch to be strike one.

The last thing I learned is how to react when I fail in pressure situations. We were down by one and I was up with a runner on second and third and two outs. I flew out to the left fielder. I was upset that I didn't come through for my team. Coach reminded me that softball is a game of failure. Great hitters get out 60% of the time. By being in those pressure situations and yes by failing a lot, you learn to be comfortable with the pressure. You learn to concentrate on the successes, accept the failures and gain confidence that next time, I will be successful because I have been here so many times before.