Memories 6: Age 9 / Grade 4

In grade 4, my teacher Ms. Stevens did an exchange program, which meant that for half of the year, I had an Australian teacher named Ms. Walsh.  I really don't remember much of what we did in class, though I remember thinking how incredibly cool it was to have a teacher with an accent. 

I also remember that we didn't do things quite the same way that the other grade 4 classes did, I don't really remember any specifics, but I do remember things were different, my teacher was from across the world after all.

Not to imply that grade 4 wasn't significant, it was.  I believe it was the year that my softball team merged with another team; I would play ball with most of these girls until the time I was 18 and some of them, even longer than that.  Our team was called the Flames (I helped come up with the name) and my dad and my friend's dad Jim were the coaches.

I was a pitcher and first baseman; I'm pretty sure I started on first since I could catch the ball consistently, not that most of us could throw the ball with any regularity.  As for pitching, I started as soon as it was an option, my dad helped train me, I went to pitching clinics put on by the city and our team even payed one of the pitching coaches to come out to our practices to coach us girls.  Now a days that's common practice, but back then it was pretty unheard of.

As a team, we were pretty bad, we lacked both the skills and concentration needed for the game and we lost most of our games that year.  In time, we would come to be a very competitive, but if you'd seen us at the time, it probably would have been very hard to imagine.

Although I love the game, I am even more thankful for what softball gave me.  It gave me friends, from other schools that I would have never otherwise met, it gave me new social skills and taught me about teamwork, that the sum of a whole is worth more than the individual.  Softball taught me about commitment, loyalty and spirit.  All of which I think are skills that have translated into other aspects of my life and continue to benefit me and those around me.  Yay for organized sports!

This is post 6/15 and is part of Mommy's Piggy Tales 
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