Softball memories

 

...and just like that, the local high school softball season is over. Both Littleton and Lisbon girls were defeated in the first round of playoffs. And there's no summer ball for that age group-- yet. 

Some of my very fondest memories are rooted in summer softball. Meg started playing softball when she was nine years old; there was no "all stars" for her 10U age bracket, and she was too young and inexperienced to play 12U post-season. But after that year, things were a little different. She took to softball like a duck to water, and there was no looking back. When she was twelve, she was playing middle school ball, 12U ball, and practicing "up" with the older teams as well. She ended up playing with them, and showed that she really did have drive and talent. Summers were tracked by the softball schedule, including playing in Montreal a couple of summers. It was heartbreaking when we were just one player short of an 18U team-- you never know when the last summer game will be, do you? She played through high school, all through college, and then she helped coach various teams and players. Now, she just ended her first head coaching year as the Littleton middle school coach, and even though half of their season got rained out, they posted a winning record-- only lost one game, and that was a close one.

Softball is the rhythm of our days, and maybe even years, it seems. I really miss living in the snack shack, planning tournaments and travel arrangements, and so on. Those were halcyon days-- rain or shine, win or lose (mostly win-- they were a dream team)-- the friends we made. One year, we had to travel to Manchester for games on our way to winning States. It was several evenings in a row, but we made it work. One parent coined the slogan, "We paid for gas and kicked your ass"-- kind of funny, really. And true. There are so many stories in my memory, and while it was a lot of work, there was even more joy. I would not trade that time for anything.

She's also playing adult league this year. I'm looking forward to watching a few adult league games, but it's not quite the same vibe. But it'll be softball, and summer, and it's right down the street. They play in the evening time, under the lights. It's been a long time since I've been to a night game.

Meg is helping plan a reboot of the 16U travel ball team for next summer. It'll be a lot of fundraising and planning, but I think she's up to it. And we can help-- I wouldn't mind another go-round of snack shack duty. And there will be sunshine, and rainy days, and smelly cleats, and eye black, and tired but happy ball players again...

C