Heather plays her first travel tournament today. It will be a new experience for her. She has never played more than one game in a day. She has never seen this intensity level. She has never...wanted to.
Heather plays to be around a team. She plays to make new friends. She plays to have something to do.
It's not her do all, be all, end all. She plays like it.
As a coach, I am torn. She has athletic ability: good hand/eye coordination, excellent small area footwork, but cross country runner speed. She doesn't have the heart to go all out. I can teach some skills. I cannot teach heart.
As her parent, I love to watch her compete, and, as she is her father's daughter, she loves to compete. She gets the hair up on her back when someone rubs her the wrong way. She likes to beat the best. She is a good teammate and friend. She has her father's personality, heaven help her.
How will she develop from this? I don't know. She got more competitive last year during Cross Country season, learning how to finish strong and kick past opponents in the last couple hundred yards. Maybe the lesson took hold and we'll see it today.
Maybe this is the day that breaks her feeling for softball. Maybe this is the day that makes it, too.
As much as I like to compete, I am more interested in this game. After all, it is where life is won.
So...am I off base?
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