THE TYPICAL GIRLS
FAST PITCH SOFTBALL PLAYER
(TGFPSP) is
first and foremost somebody's little girl.
THE FASTPITCH PLAYER
At one time she looked cute as a button dressed in pink with pony tails. She had
tea parties with her stuffed animals and dolls and helped mom bake cookies. She
has been, and will always be daddy's and mommy's, little girl. Today the fastpitch
player still has the same little girl attributes. The only difference is she looks cute
in her sliders and shorts. If she's wearing ribbons in her hair, they are the team
colors. She has become mommy's and daddy's little hitter.The fastpitch player in
proud of how dirty she can get. On a normal family dinner outing, she takes up to
an hour primping to get ready, and she still feels somewhat self-conscious. However, between tournament games
she'll strut into any restaurant with a streak of dirt across
her face, ratted sweaty hair, dirt stained shirt, bloody knees and brown socks (they
used to be white) with sandals with a toe sticking out, and yell "Let's eat!" The
fastpitch player typically has an extensive wardrobe. She has several old uniforms
which she has outgrown but has not discarded because, well you never know. She has several hundred tee shirts and
boxer shorts from camps, leagues and tournaments
around the country. When her parents say wear something nice she wears stuff from regional or national events. The
fastpitch player needs to get a scholarship, because
her parents are broke spending thousands of dollars paying for camps, batting
lessons, catching lessons, pitching lessons, hotel rooms, out to eat between
tournament games, league fees, equipment, etc., etc..... The fastpitch player is a
fierce competitor. She is willing to stand 40' away from a pitcher and take a pitch
with a measured reaction time that even a major league ball player would struggle
to hit. She might only be 5'2" and 100 pounds (soaking wet) but she'll dig in at 3rd,
or 1st, 25 feet away from the batter and challenge the hitter to drive one down her throat.
The fastpitch player has more spirit than any other sport. She'll go home hoarse from
cheering and rooting her team on into the final innings. She plays the sport for all the
right reasons, she loves the game. She could spend the weekend watching tv or hanging
out at the mall with her non-sport friends, because her sport friends are all at a tournament somewhere, but she
chooses to spend her weekend in the 100 degree heat, waiting to
get in the game. The fastpitch player is diligent and hard-working. She knows the value
of hard work. She understands that you get out of something what you put in. She is competitive and doesn't give up
very easily. She learns teamwork and spirit.
Most of all she learns to respect all, but fear none.
