Why Not Being Naturally Athletic Made Me Better

 My first pitching coach told my parents they should give up. That I just wasn’t going to cut it and they were wasting their time. Over the next decade, this simple conversation between parents and coach fueled my fire. It came easily to everyone around me, I quickly became the pitcher that was really a first baseman that got a few innings here and there. But that wasn’t enough. I wanted the ball in my hand.

I worked harder, practiced longer, and thought about what I wanted more and more. Pitching was never easy, I had to think harder, focus harder, and push harder than others my age. By the time I got to high school, I was working out at home before school, going to high school practice after school, an hour of pitching, and then off to travel ball practice. Focus, repetition, and drive helped mold me into the type of personal that refused to fail.

I knew that I wanted it more than anyone else. I also knew, I wasn’t as good as the naturally talented girls who could just show up to practice and succeed. It fueled my fire, people told me I couldn’t do it and I knew I wasn’t as good, but I was going to prove them wrong. I took hours outside of practice with coaches and my parents who supported my goals and dreams.
Not being naturally athletic taught me life lessons that I use today in college, coaching, and life in general. I’m so thankful for the fact that I had an amazing support system and found it in myself to push harder than the naturally athletic girls to level the playing field.

No one can tell you that you can’t do something but you.