Softball competition
Monday, 1 August 2011
Throughout the whole of term 3, I was heavily involved in the C Division Softball Competition, which took a lot out of me as i was constantly lagging behind in terms of work. I had to come back to school and complete all my homework and do all my revision in time. The lack of time and the stress of exams and competition piling up, probably compromised my results.Throughout the whole season, there were many ups and downs. At the start, it was all easy going, as we were a seeded team having finished in the top 4 last year (which means we are supposed to get drawn against the lousier teams). The highs and lows were clear as day. The highest point must be when we fought through a close game against montford eventually winning 7-6. It was a tough game as the opposition coach was shouting during the course of the game as a form of intimidation. It was essential that as a player, you have to shut out all other sounds to concentrate on the game. Although I made a few early mistakes that added pressure on our team, I recovered well and helped bulldoze our team past the finish line.
The low was definitely the injury that kept me out of the second round and also my place as second base. The injury was very unfortunate as the ball hit my finger, causing it to bleed. It was definitely not something I had hoped for. 16 months of training that might have gone to waste. Another low point was the nervousness of playing in the semi-finals and also having to adapt to a new position in the semi-final. Eventually, many balls were hit to right field, of which I was made to chase lost-causes and pressured into mistakes.
I think the biggest take-away is dealing with pressure and also adapting to changes. I think with my injury, it was always likely that I would be replaced by replacement second base, after he played so well throughout the second round. There was also added pressure as I get thrown into a new position in the semi-finals in a game with such importance. Other than that, I had to be flexible and adapt to changes. It is unrealistic to think that things will be as it is and remain unchanged. We have to constantly adapt, while eventually I was not put to play in the third place playoff, I still feel that I did my part by cheering loudly from the sidelines.