When I first walked onto the softball field, I was overwhelmed.  I was starting at a new school in the middle of my freshman year and I had so many thoughts like are they going to like me? Am I going to be good enough to make it on the team?  These thoughts were playing over and over in my head as I continued towards the coaches and other players.  With each step brought to me more anxiety and I questioned, was it really worth me being here?

When practice started, I kept to myself.  I was worried that I was going to mess up and someone was going to laugh at me.   Then it was time to choose our positions so I picked the safest position on the field and elected to go into the outfield.  Before I knew it our first practice was finally over and I realized that all my questions were answered and it made me feel a little more confident in myself.  As I walked off the field I felt like shouting, “This was so worth it”; I look forward to practice every day and I gained confidence in playing my outfield position.   Finally, a couple days before our first game, it was time to receive our uniforms and pick our numbers.     I told the coach that I wanted number nineteen, which has always been my lucky number.  What I didn’t expect was to get both a JV and Varsity jersey.  I couldn’t wait to get home tell my parents and friends from my old school.

When the first game came around, I was happy and nervous, happy because I’m actually playing and nervous that I was going to mess up.  The first game went well considering that we lost; the thing I realized is that it wasn’t just me who didn’t feel confident; I had something in common with most of my teammates as well.   The next few games we continued to lack in confidence, but one thing I was gaining was interest in another position, catcher. I asked my coach if I could try it out for the catching position; I knew it was going to be difficult and that all eyes would be on me at each game if I made it.   Each day I kept practicing that position until I got better, and the next thing I knew coach put me in a game.   I didn’t know what to think or feel, all I knew is that if I messed up, my confidence was bound to go down.  The game went smoothly; I only had a couple of minor errors which I was happy about, and my teammates said I did good considering I just started that position which made me feel confident that I had made the right choice in my position change.

I practiced and practiced catching so I could better myself and my confidence, and the other catcher on the team helped me out with some tips. I became friends with almost the whole team and I was happy I didn’t back down on the first practice. The season didn’t go well for us, but I realized that softball has opened up a lot of doors for me and it has also built my confidence up. I thought to myself on the last day of the season, “I’m definitely doing this next year”.

I know that many students each year have to move to a new state causing them to have to go to a new school.   The one thing I wish I could tell them from my experience was that when I moved, my grades were horrible, and I would have been lucky if I finished high school, let alone go to college.   Taking the chance and signing up for a sport, for me softball, changed the way I see things,  and not only did it improve my confidence in being the “new kid” at school but it helped raise my grades as well, for I learned not only discipline on the field, but off, too.