It's hard to believe this happened 2 years ago. Can y'all remember what you were going through in Summer of 2020??? Everyone was told to stay home, virtually no softball in many parts of the country. College kids were told to go home in March. HS seasons grinded to a halt. Zoom calls became a thing. Against local authorities, a local coach made a call out to college players in the area to see if they wanted to get some workouts in and guess what? They came! 4 Sundays at 4pm at a practice field South of Houston.
The Girls of Summer. Players from D1, D2, D3 and some not yet in college showed up to get some work in, and really just to be around other like minded ladies. Watching them drive up in a dusty field, exiting their vehicles, extracting their gear from the trunk. A smile and a wave to old friends. Hugs for some that hadn't seen each other in years. Some have never played with each other, but most have shared the same fields at one time or another in their softball careers. Warming up in the hot sun. Sweat pouring from their brows as they start to throw. Pitchers teaming up catchers in the bull pen area. The sound of the mitts popping. It was nothing like a TB practice when they were younger. It was low key and relaxed. They did not rush, but they were rusty. They knew what to do. They have been doing this their whole lives, but it was different this time. Was there pressure? No and yes! They pretended that it didn't matter if they didn't make the throw, the pitch or the hit. It mattered. They wanted to show off and prove to the other players that they belong on this field. These are the girls that have made it to the top or the END of Softball after all those years, all those tourneys, all the time they spent practicing and playing, sweat soaked gear, smelly batting gloves, the tears, the blood and the laughs. They smile as they grit their teeth when making the throw across the diamond. The pitch comes in and a swing of the bat. The ball flies Over the make shift temporary fence into the dusty parking lot nestling itself under the shade of one of the players cars. The end is near as the coaches call the players into the circle, they are worn out, but it felt good. Coach asks. Do y'all want to try to do this again? They did it another 3 Sundays. Other players came to see what this was all about. This was Dirt Therapy and there was no substitution.
In a few months they will make the journey back to their schools, and when they get on the field again, it won't be the same as it was in Summer of 2020...it never will be.
2 years later-Some graduated, some transferred schools, some are close to graduation, some in grad school, some in the middle of their summer internships.
Colleges represented in this pic:
OU
Arizona
Ole Miss
ULL
UT*
Dartmouth
TSU
Texas Tech
Texas State
UIW
UT-Tyler
UT Dallas
*not pictured
The Girls of Summer. Players from D1, D2, D3 and some not yet in college showed up to get some work in, and really just to be around other like minded ladies. Watching them drive up in a dusty field, exiting their vehicles, extracting their gear from the trunk. A smile and a wave to old friends. Hugs for some that hadn't seen each other in years. Some have never played with each other, but most have shared the same fields at one time or another in their softball careers. Warming up in the hot sun. Sweat pouring from their brows as they start to throw. Pitchers teaming up catchers in the bull pen area. The sound of the mitts popping. It was nothing like a TB practice when they were younger. It was low key and relaxed. They did not rush, but they were rusty. They knew what to do. They have been doing this their whole lives, but it was different this time. Was there pressure? No and yes! They pretended that it didn't matter if they didn't make the throw, the pitch or the hit. It mattered. They wanted to show off and prove to the other players that they belong on this field. These are the girls that have made it to the top or the END of Softball after all those years, all those tourneys, all the time they spent practicing and playing, sweat soaked gear, smelly batting gloves, the tears, the blood and the laughs. They smile as they grit their teeth when making the throw across the diamond. The pitch comes in and a swing of the bat. The ball flies Over the make shift temporary fence into the dusty parking lot nestling itself under the shade of one of the players cars. The end is near as the coaches call the players into the circle, they are worn out, but it felt good. Coach asks. Do y'all want to try to do this again? They did it another 3 Sundays. Other players came to see what this was all about. This was Dirt Therapy and there was no substitution.
In a few months they will make the journey back to their schools, and when they get on the field again, it won't be the same as it was in Summer of 2020...it never will be.
2 years later-Some graduated, some transferred schools, some are close to graduation, some in grad school, some in the middle of their summer internships.
Colleges represented in this pic:
OU
Arizona
Ole Miss
ULL
UT*
Dartmouth
TSU
Texas Tech
Texas State
UIW
UT-Tyler
UT Dallas
*not pictured
