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Follow the Lady Buffs with Erin's Diary
April 24, 2008 Ladies, In the game, you will always face doubters and disbelievers. You will always have negative voices in your ear, trying to bring you down. People will talk badly about you; they will snuff their nose at you, laugh at you, and look down upon you. Or they may not even care anymore; they may have already lost interest in you. It's tough to face, but it's part of the game. Always has been. Unfortunately, this part of the game doesn't stop when you step outside the white lines. It carries into the other game, called life. Whether you want to believe it or not, people will doubt you your whole life- in your career, in relationships, in any test that life throws at you. They'll laugh at your dreams, and step on your goals. But like Fortune says in the movie Rudy (one of my all-time favorites), "In this life, you don't have to prove nothin' to nobody but yourself." I like that quote. It's a good reminder. Especially for this weekend. Whether we have support or not, let's prove to ourselves that we can make it! Remember, each of you won't be fighting alone out there. We have each other. Leave everything you have on the field this weekend! It's do or die.
GO LADY BUFFS! *Chase the Dream* April 17, 2008 No one ever celebrates after doing something they are expected to do. That is why I am not overly happy with yesterday's wins against Oklahoma Panhandle. Though we are expected to win every game, tomorrow's doubleheader against St. Edward's is going to bring a greater challenge to the table than what we faced yesterday. We have to be ready. We cannot play not to lose- we must play to win. For the second consecutive week, Mia Hamm comes up big with a quote for my diary. (Maybe it's because I loved soccer growing up and I loved watching her play, but she always knew what to say.) "I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion." -Mia Hamm Let's play for each other tomorrow, ladies. Make a play for the teammate next to you. Get a hit for your teammate in the on-deck circle, or your teammates on base. Throw every pitch for your catcher, and for your teammates behind you. Point is, do everything for us; and we'll get two more wins together!
GO LADY BUFFS! *Chase the Dream* April 10, 2008 To my teammates: Like coach said the other day at practice, success is your own fault. This applies not only to our game, but to life. Our world today offers almost anything and everything to help us achieve success, but in the end, nothing is handed to us. If we want something, we have to go get it. We can read every self-help book or "Steps to Success" book on the shelf. We can meet with Dr. Lubker every week, and do hundreds of visualization exercises with him. We can practice and practice, and when we're done practicing- practice some more. We can listen to our coaches preach and teach and motivate until they're blue in the face and out of breath! But when it comes game time, it's on us. Dr. Lubker can't hit for us. Our coaches won't be strapping on gloves and playing the field for us. We are the ones that must go out and get the job done. We must fight for the "W"- because no one is going to hand it to us. When it comes game time, just know that you have what it takes. Know you have it. Trust it. And let it out. Show it off. We've put in almost eight months of hard work together. We've taken hours and hours of batting practice, we've hit thousands of balls. We've fielded even more grounders and flyballs. And with as much work as our pitchers and catchers put in, I wouldn't be surprised if they dream about the bullpen in their sleep! We've woken up at the crack of dawn together to lift weights. We've put up with tough conditioning workouts together- and we've finished strong every time! We've sweat together. Cried together. Laughed together. We've failed together, and we've bounced back together. We've fought together- not only against opponents but against disbelievers. People have questioned us, and we've answered back together. We've put in the work, and we've taken our toll. We have it. We just have to allow ourselves to be successful and use it! Together. A former coach of mine sent me a quote by Mia Hamm back in the fall, and it is a quote that I have played by ever since. "Somewhere behind the athlete you've become, and the hours of practice and the coaches who have pushed you, is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back. Play for her." -Mia Hamm We've been playing this game our whole lives. We've been putting in work since we started walking. We play because we love it. So if nothing else, please just play for the love of the game. Success is our own fault. This weekend's games at Eastern New Mexico are surely not going to be handed to us, so we have to go get them!
GO LADY BUFFS! *Chase the Dream* April 3, 2008 Revenge is sweet. Respect is even sweeter. We nabbed wins from some pretty good teams last weekend at the Lone Star Conference Crossover tournament. We defeated one team in particular that we've been working the last three years to defeat. Hard work was paid off. Revenge was sought. We suffered a few losses on the weekend, too, but we put up good fights. Some of our opponents just put up a stronger fight, others just got lucky. It's however you want to look at it. But they know. Teams know WT now. They see what we can do. We finally have respect in the Lone Star Conference. And let me be the first to say, after taking several beatings the last two seasons, and after continually working my tail off to help get the program where it is now, I can honestly vouch that respect is the hardest thing to earn. But that is what makes it SO sweet when you finally get it. Keeping it is the key now. And on that note, I will stop talking. We have talking to do with the gloves and sticks this weekend when Tarleton State comes to our house.
GO LADY BUFFS! *Chase the Dream* March 27, 2008 Coach asked us a question earlier this week that really struck me. He asked, "How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?" I don't know if he came up with that, or if he had heard it before, but with 4 weeks left in the regular season, it's something for our team to seriously consider. When high-profile individuals are killed, such as presidents, they are deemed to be "assassinated". When an average individual is killed, they are "murdered." This shows that the terms "assassination" and "murder" are associated with value and worth. Infamous or not, high-profile individuals hold great value. They are an icon. They understand that they are in the spotlight and/or they have targets on their backs. They carry a swagger (slight or large, it's there). They welcome challenges, but believe that they will always succeed. They are the best. That is what they know. I don't care what anyone says, our team is one very talented group of athletes. When are we going to stop letting others judge our worth? Only we can judge how important we are, and how good we are. It's not, How good of a team are we? It's, How good of a team do we think we are? Because athletics are so mental, success rests in how athletes view themselves. As the old saying goes, "It is not the size of the dog in the fight. It is the size of the fight in the dog." It's about the size of the heart. That's what counts. That is what holds true value and worth. When high-profile individuals are killed, it is a shock to others. It is something that is hard to grasp- it should not have happened. It is not right. Frankly, our losses last week should not have happened. The losses before those should not have happened. Sure, great teams can go down. They find slumps. But they know they are better than that, and what makes them great is how they bounce back and get out of slumps. To teams that think highly of themselves, losing is not right. Losses actually shock them because they know nothing but winning. It's about time we take on this mentality, before it's too late.
GO LADY BUFFS! *Chase the Dream* March 13, 2008 Losing a game is hard. But watching your team lose a game is even harder. It is so frustrating knowing there is nothing you can do to help but strategize with your teammates, talk to them, and cheer your voice out. I've sat out the last four games with a knee injury, praying that God would just miraculously give me a new knee, so I could get back out there and physically contribute to the team. No such miracle has happened yet, but the anti-inflammatories, ice, compression and rest seem to be helping. I just want to stop talking to my team and start doing for my team. As Coach says, talk is cheap if you don't DO. With five straight losses this week, we've done a lot of talking- about what we aren't doing, what we are doing that we shouldn't be doing, what we need to do... When it comes down to it, it's plain and simple: Stop doing what you know you shouldn't be doing. Do what you're supposed to do. Do what you need to do. Change something! Anything. Coach Pogge said it best. You don't go through life doing the same thing every day. So why go through games doing the same thing every time out? If things aren't going the way you want them to, change something. Do something new. Approach the plate differently. Try something new up to bat- maybe drop a bunt if you've never tried. If your defense is struggling, set up in the field differently- try a new defensive stance. Take a few steps back, or a few steps up. Whatever it takes. If you're struggling, it can't hurt. After this week's performances, it definitely wouldn't hurt us to try something new going into this weekend's conference series at Angelo State. I'm not a physics major, and I was never any good with physics, but isn't it true that if an object falls, depending on what material it's made of, it bounces? If that's true, than depending on the rate it which it fell, it can bounce pretty high. We fell hard this week with 5 straight losses. But I truly believe this team is made of the right material to bounce up from it. And bounce high. Last year or the year before that, five consecutive losses would not have surprised many outsiders. With this year's team, it is unexpected and unacceptable. Sure, we've taken a few tough blows lately with injuries, sicknesses, and slumps, but we're tough. We're resilient. And like a dog that's been kicked one too many times, we're going to fight back! WNBA superstar Sheryl Swoops, one of the greatest women's basketball players of all time, says it best, "No matter how far life pushes you down, no matter how much you hurt, you can always bounce back." Referring back to Coach's analogy in one of my earlier diary entries (about the rearview mirror being smaller than the windshield), we must keep moving ahead, only looking ahead. Next stop: Angelo.
GO LADY BUFFS! *Chase the Dream*
March 6, 2008 My mom always says everything happens for a reason. Whenever something doesn't go right, she tells me to keep my head up and know that it is supposed to happen. She says God is preparing me for something- either something the next day, or something years down the road. I may or may not know what for or when. It's just part of His big plan. This week, I kept reminding myself of this. Everything happens for a reason. There is a reason that Bre, our starting shortstop, is out for a while after getting hit in the face with the ball up-to-bat last weekend. Before Bre was injured, our infield defense had finally solidified. We were flowing. Bre and I had finally developed that chemistry up the middle- she at shortstop and I at 2nd. (It actually wasn't too hard, since we live together and act like sisters.) We always knew where the other was at- at all times. We could have rolled double plays together in our sleep! We were constantly communicating. We knew nothing was going to get through the middle. Christie, a freshman who had played shortstop her whole life, had been moved to third base. She had finally transitioned to the corner spot and was playing lights out. She had gotten quicker. I was proud of her. (Still am.) Now with Bre out, Christie will move over to shortstop, and Audrey and Courtney will compete for time at 3rd. I'm not going to lie, I miss Bre out there. But I keep telling myself that there is a reason she is not going to be to my right for a while. God is throwing me a curveball that he expects me to hit. (Sorry that you have to help Him out with this, Bre.) Maybe He is challenging me. With younger players around me, one being up the middle with me now, he is challenging me to be a leader. He is challenging me to step up my game and, in the process, lift everyone else's game, too. He is challenging me to develop a new chemistry with Christie at shortstop. He is challenging Christie to take charge at shortstop. Courtney and Audrey are being challenged to fight for one spot and to fill big shoes there. Overall, God is challenging us as a team to get over this transition, this hump, break in the road, whatever you want to call it. He wants to see how we handle it and how we pull through it. And pulling through it is just what we are going to do! I am confident that the new infield look will be ok. We've all played softball since we started walking! We know what we're doing. From here on out, we have to forget about the "uncontrollables" and focus on what we can control: our work ethic, our tenacity, our attitude, our mindset, and our unity. If we continue to focus on those five things, the rest will fall into place. Trust. We are currently 2-1 in conference play. We'll be hosting Texas A&M-Kingsville at home this weekend, so come out to Lady Buff Yard and support. Help us come out of this weekend with three wins!
GO LADY BUFFS! *Chase the Dream*
February 28, 2008 When I think of where our program sits thus far this season, I think back to the Anaheim Angels two summers ago. The angels had arrived to the month of May with a 17-28 record. Fans and players alike were worried. Members of the organization were calling it a false start, and trying hard to find ways to fix it. ESPN baseball analysts and sportswriters were doing what they do best- questioning the stability of the program, and predicting a down year for the Angels. And as is the case 50 percent of the time, they were wrong. The Angels used May and June to turn their season around, and raced into July with a 51-48 overall record. Though some like to believe this was because of the decisions made by the big guys up in the executive suites, I disagree. I believe the Angels' mid-season turn-around was sparked by the guys sporting the uniform. Sure the executives made some trades, brought some new and improved guys in. But the players alone were the ones who had to dig deep within themselves, and make the commitment to turn their season around. They were the ones who had to give the physical, mental and emotional effort each day out to get where they wanted to be. And they got there.
Stories like these are lifting. They motivate me. They tell me that: This weekend was a humbling one for us. After posting a 3-1 record in Angelo State's tournament last weekend, to going 1-3 in our own tournament this weekend, I had to stop myself and question WHY. How can we give Angelo State a run for their money one weekend, only to turn around the next weekend and give New Mexico Highlands their first win? It's because it is easy to get up for good teams. It's easy to stay up for an entire game when you're competing with a powerhouse. It's a boxing match. You can't blink. It is the team that you overlook, the one you turn up your nose at, that will bite you in the "you-know-what". Honestly, teams that appear weaker are the ones that scare me the most--because I have to find different ways to pump myself up and stay up when playing those teams. When playing a top conference opponent, the sheer head-to-head competition alone fires me up. I'm just being honest when I say this, but against a team like New Mexico Highlands, the game is slower. The game itself doesn't seem to have as much energy and excitement as does a game against Angelo. Therefore, I have to mentally put myself in an energizing scenario against smaller opponents. I have to pretend that we are up against a powerhouse, and I tell myself that we are going to do anything in our power to tear it down. That's just me, though. Each player is different. Coach preaches the old saying that if the past were more important than the future, a car's rearview mirror would be bigger than its windshield. On that note, we just need to be humbled from this weekend, learn from it, and drive on, looking only ahead. The Angels did it. We can, too! Up next: Flight to Denton, TX for our first conference series with Texas Woman's
GO LADY BUFFS! *Chase the Dream*
February 21, 2008 My roommate Bre and I are the only two remaining players from the start of the softball program in 2005. Not many know the path that we've traveled. The last two seasons were rough. We've taken some hard hits, but we have not fallen. We've stayed strong, we've persevered, and we've been patient. Last weekend showed the rewards of this. Last weekend was the first time we walked away from the Angelo State Tournament with a winning record (3-1) and our heads held high. Even with the loss to Angelo State Monday night, we still had no reason to be down. We gave them a dog fight. That is what we aim to do every time out- give our opponent a fight. Make them sweat. Blood, sweat, and tears is what we put in every time. We were supposed to play our home-opening doubleheader today, but due to predicted inclement weather, the games have been moved to Sunday at noon and 2. It actually ended up being a nice day... but I've learned that's how the Canyon weather is! It always keeps you on your toes. The Sunday doubleheader will be played at our home field, right behind Jarrett Hall on campus. We hope to see a packed house! If two good softball games don't lure fans to the game, free beanies at the front gate (with your Buff ID) should! Until then, our focus is on our tournament this weekend at the Southeast Complex in Amarillo. With a 7-4 record, we have to keep the ball rolling! GO LADY BUFFS! *Chase the Dream*
February 14, 2008 Before we departed to the Texas Woman's Invitational last weekend, we met with Dr. Lubker for a short sport psych session in the locker room and he had us participate in an activity. We sat in a circle, and one person was given a roll of red yarn. That person was to hold the end of the yarn and toss the roll to a teammate that they wanted to thank, or to a teammate that they wished good things for this year. We expressed how we felt to one another as we tossed the yarn back and forth sporadically- until a twisted web of red yarn amassed within our circle. Dr. Lubker then rested folding chairs on top of the yarn, as we each tugged onto our string to keep it tight so as to hold up the chairs. This activity was a lesson - the intertwined string represented our relationships, our unity, and our goals (for the team and for each other). The folding chairs represented adversity, challenges, and hardships we would face within the season. Dr. Lubker had a few of the girls drop their string ends, which caused the folding chairs to collapse. This taught us that if one or more people lose their goals and relationships and fall, we all fall. If we pull together and stick together, and pick each other up along the way, we can overcome anything together. We saw this activity come into play last weekend. We learned that when we play as a unit and pull together- good things come of it. Unfortunately, we also learned that when one or more people struggle or lose focus, and no one helps pick them back up, we go down together. We learned that it's easy to play when you're ahead in the game. It's when you are behind in the game that over thinking, frustration, and/or loss of fire can come into play. We try too hard or we panic- when we just need to refocus and regroup and find a way to scratch and claw our way back to a win. As a team captain, I hold myself accountable to re-gather the team when we stray away from where we need to be. It is not the coaches' responsibility- it is our responsibility as a team. We understand that now, as we bounced back in Tuesday's outing against UT-Permian Basin. We each wore a piece of the red yarn around our wrists to remind us to stay together. In defeating them 14-0 and 11-3, we did just that. We showed this team's true colors, and showed what we can do to an opponent when we play as one. We will keep that ball rolling as we travel to Angelo State's tournament this weekend! GO LADY BUFFS! *Chase the Dream*
February 7, 2008 It's here. Finally! This Saturday brings our first game of the 2008 softball season. We'll travel tomorrow (Friday) to Denton, Texas, for the Texas Woman's Invitational. I can't help but look back to August, when we all first met- returning players, newcomers, and coaches. It seems like forever ago, yet at the same time, it doesn't. These last five months of preparation have flown by. Regardless, one thing is for sure- we have come a long way! Our relationships, our chemistry and our skills have strengthened so much. It is indescribable how close this team has become and how hard we have worked. We are physically stronger and more fit- thanks to our strength and conditioning coach, Ryan. It's crazy to think how far we have come since that first workout with him! He pushed us throughout the off season, and will continue to push us through the season. He supports us 100 percent, as does Dr. Lubker, our sports psychologist. Meeting with Dr. Lubker during the offseason, we have become mentally stronger- with increased confidence. Though he and his wife are currently raising their newborn, Dr. Lubker will continue to work with us through the season. I can't say enough about our two new assistant coaches, Jackie and Sarah. They are the two best additions to our program. They care so much about us, and about the program. Like Coach B, they expect nothing less than hard work, and want nothing more than to lift the WT softball program to the highest level. It is people like our coaches, Ryan, and Dr. Lubker, that motivate us to work hard and do well. They give so much of their time and effort to us, so that we can be successful. We want to give that same effort back. We want to show off what they have instilled within us. In my opinion, the fall season is a pretty clear forecast of how the spring season will be, or should be. After our fall season, I am very optimistic about this spring. I have that feeling- the one you get when you know you are part of a successful group, and you know good things are going to happen. Everyone just clicks. Everything on the field just clicks. I can't describe the feeling, but the last time I had it was during my senior softball season in high school, when we basically turned our school's program around after our dominant run to the state tournament. That season felt so good- I want to feel that again. In the fall, I watched a video of Sue Enquist, former UCLA head softball coach, speaking to a crowd of high school softball players. She talked about being prepared for the game. She said if you work hard at practice and give everything you possibly have, you will never be nervous for a game. You will be excited- because you are prepared for the game. You prepare at practice. Today is our last practice to prepare for the tournament. I believe we will be prepared. After scrimmaging throughout the past weeks, we are definitely ready to face someone other than each other. Denton, here we come!
*Chase the dream*
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