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Member Spotlight - SOFTBALL IS MORE THAN JUST A GAME


By Nicole Pulver of ASA’s American Pastime


A thinking place should be somewhere where you feel comfortable, somewhere where you can forget everything and focus. I have played softball all my life, and whenever I feel the need to clear my head, I go to the softball field. It’s not a place where most people would go, but this is where I find my inner peace.

I can go to an empty softball field, and all my anxieties disappear. I can stand anywhere on the diamond and feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be. When I sit on the bench in the hollow, dusty dugout, I can close my eyes and imagine my team standing with me, all against the fence cheering, watching, and praying we score another run. I can feel the intensity. It’s a rush of energy through my whole body. While sitting on the bench, I start to feel the butterflies and I can recall the crowd cheering for us, our coach looking more confident than ever and the umpire waiting to make the next call. While I am sitting there, memories start to indulge my senses. The softball field is where I lost my first tooth, broke my first bone, and where I met my best friends. I feel at home when I return to the softball field because not only do I have my best memories there, it’s one of the biggest parts of my life and it’s where I feel most secure.

Sometimes I go sit amongst the grass gazing into the clouds. Laying there I can smell the fresh cut grass and the wet dirt beneath me. This however is one of the best smells to have ever touched my senses. I enjoy taking a deep breath, letting it all in and instantly memories start flowing through my head. When I smell the grass I think of playing the outfield, diving for a ball and making that perfect catch. Oh the feeling is unbelievable and something most people won’t ever get to experience. It’s a proud feeling, a feeling that makes you feel like superman. While imagining this I can feel the butterflies arousing in my stomach and I imagine the bright green grass stains on my uniform. I can hear the crowd cheering, my teammates applauding and my coaches sigh of relief.

I also like to sit at home plate looking outward on the entire diamond. This was my home, the place I knew I was meant to be. Running my hands through the dirt and looking upon the entire field made me feel as if I was on top of the world. I could see all that I needed to see. I thought about all the times I have hit a homerun and crossed home plate in complete gratitude. I thought about how this very place I was sitting at made me who I am today. This is the place that gave me confidence, made me believe I can do whatever I set my mind to. Sitting on top of that awkwardly shaped plate, I now realize just how much this has given me. Softball has been such a big part of my life and has shaped me into the person I have become.

Softball is also something that brings a family together. My family and I would go practice together, travel around the United States for tournaments, and we even took our Christmas picture on the field. I walked onto the pitching mound staring blankly around the field. I thought of my mother, she was and still is my support system; she came to every game and always cheered me on. She is my best friend and without her there cheering me on, I would have fallen apart. I also remembered how dedicated my father was to helping me and how much he truly believed in me. Drove me to all my practices, took me to hitting lessons, and never did he once doubt my abilities. Everything I know about the game is because of him. He is my role model and I look up to him in so many different ways.
When I look out towards the sidelines, I can see numerous foul balls being hit, players diving to save the ball, and I remember all the long hard hours I have put into the game. Everyday was practice, hitting, running, and throwing. Sundays is when we had long practices and I can still feel the hot sun beating on my neck and sweat dripping across my face. So many times did I want to give up and sit down, but I never did. I can still feel how sore I would be the next morning, waking up barely opening my eyes and seeing nothing but a blur, my muscles aching and my skin throbbing from an intense sun burn. However this is all a part of the game. Those long hours, achy muscles and terrible sunburns have made me a stronger person. It has taught me never to give up, and that even though things may seem hard it will all be worth it in the end.

I knelt down and wrote my name in the dirt, why? Because this is a place that will always be a part of me. I started to think about my last high school home game. They had a huge ceremony for us four seniors, and my parents got to walk me down third base line. Hand in hand we strutted down that white chalky line. I remember the look of pride on my parent’s faces, my mom crying and my dad with a huge smile on his face with a tear rolling down his cheek. Nicole Graduation and Last softball game) I then got flowers and long hugs from my coaches, and they said “Thank you for everything; you are a wonderful person and one heck of a softball player. We’re going to miss you so much!” At this moment it all hit me and as tears came rolling down my face I knew that this was what it’s all about. Softball isn’t just a game, it’s a way of life. This is where you meet the best people, where your teammates become your sisters, and where you spend every waking moment. It’s where you learn who you are and where you want to go. The field is my home, it’s my sacred place and I know wherever life takes me, I will always have the memories I shaped while being on that fresh cut grass and wet dirt. No matter my age or where I am in my life, I know I will always be able to return to the softball diamond and just smile as all the old feelings and memories come rushing back to me like the ocean’s tide on a sandy beach.