The Future

In less than a week I will graduate from college. The only thing on my mind is that I need to find a job, but with this economy I doubt that will happen anytime soon. I know I'm not the only senior in this position. I know there are students that graduated last year that still haven't found a job. This worries me and makes me wonder if I ever will find a real job. I still have my current job which pays the bills, but it doesn't cover health insurance or anything else for that matter. I'm hoping after I complete my internship I will be offered a job and everything will work out from there. I know this is a lot to hope for, but it would really help me out lol

If I don't find a job before my loans kick in this upcoming November then money will be tight for sure. If worst comes to worst, I could go to graduate school and further my education and then maybe by that time the economy will be better and I'll be able to find a job.

Softball Game Tonight

Tonight, I played a softball game. I was called by a friend to see if I wanted to play because they were short girls tonight. I only knew two people on the team, but I love to play softball so I told him I would play. We played at Eggleston Park on Blue Rock Road at 6pm.

I wasn't kind of hesitant at first because I haven't played a slow-pitch game since last summer. The biggest thing that I was worried about was getting hurt before I graduate this saturday. I was hoping that I would get there, play the game, and leave in one piece. I didn't get hurt and I had fun.

One of the girls on the team wasn't so lucky. She was running out to right field, and ended up pulling her thigh muscle and could hardly walk. I've never pulled a muscle before but I imagine it would hurt pretty bad. So basically she sat out the rest of the game, and someone hit and played the field for her as well.

We played real well. No one made any errors, and we all hit the ball pretty well. We run-ruled the team 13 to 3 in the sixth inning. Afterwards, the rest of the team stuck around and a had a beer or two, but I had to leave because I had to finish my homework lol I know it's a lame excuse, but it's important since I am graduating this upcoming Saturday.

Info Pigs 5/3/09

This morning I woke up at 5:30am to get ready to go to Yaetsman Cove where the finish line was to help the runners out. We had to be there early to get paperwork so we could "study" the sheet and hopefully know the answers to the questions. I kinda felt useless. I had on my shirt which was under my jacket because it was cold out, so I guess the runners didn't know that we were supposed to help them. We all stood at the exit by the fences where the runners were coming out. At first there were just a few, and then a few more, and then they just wouldn't stop. The biggest thing we had to deal with were spectators and families wanted to meet up with the runners, which in turn just narrowed the exit path and really upset the runners. One of the other info pigs got spit on and told her we were the rudest people he had ever met. A little bit later, two ladies came out and told me and Sam that we were in the way. I just wanted to say to her, "this is what I'm supposed to do." Of course I didn't say that, but those ladies made me mad.

Around 9am, most of the runners had finished. They were now looking for their baggage, the awards ceremony, and other things. It was very hectic and I realized that there is a lot of planning that goes into this event in order for it to run smoothly. I don't think this is something I want to do with my degree. I wouldn't want to be at fault if something were to go wrong. All in all, this was a pretty good experience and something that I will always remember.

The Flying Pig 5/2/09

As I mentioned in my last blog, Sam, Kellie and I worked The Flying Pig this weekend. Saturday morning the Expo opened at 10am for participants, which meant that we had to show up early at 9am in order to get everything ready. Sam and I did something different than what Kellie did. Sam and I sat at computers and entered in all of he registration forms into a database so that the runners would be able to find their times, and other things. It took us all day to complete all of the forms. We got a little lunch break somewhere in between the hours, but for the most part we just sat at the computers and entered in the information. I kinda felt like I was working for it, but we weren't getting paid since this is volunteer work afterall.

Kellie on the otherhand was out front doing the late registration again. There were so many participants that one of the guys from the chip company had to make hundreds of extra chips and matching bib numbers because they used all of ones that they put together in the beginning for the half-marathon and marathon races. The turnout ended up to be much more than they had originally expected. I felt sorry for that guy. He was the only one that had a scanner to scan the chips and the numbers were growing at a steady pace. There were volunteers running back and forth to get the chips and bib numbers to give to the participants.

The Expo 5/1/09

This past weekend, Sam, Kellie, and I worked The Flying Pig all three days. I spent 9 hours on Friday at the Expo that was held at the convention center. When we first got there, we only passed out flyers and pamphlets about the race to the participants as they exited the Expo. About an hour later, the director of the volunteers pulled us aside and told us we were needed at the late registration tables. There were hundreds and hundreds of people there that still need to register for their races.

The process wasn't hard at all. One volunteer showed us what we had to do. We had to grab the bib number and the chip and make sure the numbers matched, and then grab a goody bag for all the runners. I probably registered 500 people on Friday. I always heard that there had been good turnouts every year for the races, but I never expected it to be this busy. It seemed like the lines never seemed to end. I would register a few, and then more would show up. It was like this the whole time until we left at 7:30pm.

School stresses me out!

These past two weeks have been the most stressful times this whole semester. I have done more work in these two weeks than I did all semester. Granted, there were group projects that we were supposed to be doing periodically throughout the semester, but let's face it, we're seniors. This means that we procrasitnate and wait until the last minute to do everything.

I have a 20 page group paper due tomorrow afternoon in my Human Resource Mangament class. Good think there are 4 people in our group and each of us only have to write 5 pages of the 20 page paper. Although 5 pages seem like a lot, the paper is about how companies have cut health care benefits. This topic hits too close to home for me considering I will be graduating in a week and a half. I found out some things that I liked, and things that I didn't like.

I also have a group presentation and report due tomorrow in my Facility Management class. This presentation is about a facility that we had to design and basically write up a business plan about our facility. We named it "Final Four" and it will provide professional training in basketball, volleyball, and personal fitness. This was a little harder for me to write considering I've never written a business plan before. We have to present this information in a powerpoint format to the rest of class tomorrow afternoon.

Wednesday I have another group presentation for my Sports Marketing, Promotions, and Sales class. This presentation is called a Sports Experience Audit. Basically, we designed a questionaire, passed it out at the University of Cincinnati basketball game, and then analyzed the data that we collected. This is a long and tedeous process and I'm ready to get this project over with.

I have a final this thursday that I haven't started studying for yet.

Friday, I have a take home exam due by noon.

Not to mention, I have to work the Flying Pig this weekend, and it will be a long weekend!

The Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds...oh what can I say about this team. Sometimes they play well, and sometimes they do not play well. I was watching the game last night and they started off playing pretty good. I thought maybe they were going win the game. Well I was wrong. After John Cueto walked five batters in a row, and two runs in, I knew they were doomed. He has not had a good year at all so far. He has struggled everytime he was the starting pitcher. We had a chance when we tied the game 3-3. But of course, we let up a home-run and just couldn't bounce back. In the bottom of the 8th and 9th innings, we got runners on base, but couldn't execute. We left runners in scoring position again. This happens more than it should. But no team is perfect.

Even though I am talking bad about how they played last night, they are having a pretty good season so far. There record is 9 and 7.

Bowling Friday night

Last Friday night, my boyfriend, his roommate, and two other friends went bowling. My boyfriend is a pretty good bowler (another thing he's better at than I am) and always bowls over an average of 175, generally closer to 200. Branden is right behind him and normally bowls decent most of the time. Dave and Benny are about even. They hit some spares and get some strikes, so I would say they are average. And then there's me. I usually bowl really good or really bad. That night, we all decided to put $1 dollar bets on the games. Kyle and I were on one team, and Dave and Branden were on the other team. The first game, Kyle and I bowled really well. Of course I was happy because we won haha. Then we started the second game, and we weren't quite so lucky this time. I bowled like crap. I didn't mark until the 5th frame and the game is already half over. Kyle was playing well, but not as good as Dave and Branden. They ended up winning the game. We didn't play a third because they were about to close. But all in all, we were all even and didn't owe each other any money. At the end of the night, we were all happy!

Tekulve Acceleration Training Internship

I will be interning at Tekulve Acceleration Training this summer. I have to complete 400 hours in order to get my degree while taking the Senior Capstone/Internship class this summer. I will start May 13th and will be in training for 4 weeks to learn everything about the program. By mid June, I will be working everyday and even on Saturdays. I hope to finish sometime at the end of July. I am kind of nervous about it because I only know the director. I'm shy around people I don't know, so I'm worried if I will fit in okay. The director of the program went to high school with my mom and she basically got the internship for me. I thanked her a lot lol. My duties in the office will be limited to filing, answering phones, scheduling appointments, etc. I will also be in charge of running the Dynamic warm-up which implements the protocols of the program. At some point, I will have to run on the treadmill and participate in the plyometrics as well. I went through the program when I was in high school so I am familiar with how it works. However, I was 5 years younger and in better shape than I am now. But I have been working out so I think I will do okay.

As part of an assignment for my summer class, I will have to blog and post things about the internship. This will be something that I will be able to use when I'm looking for a job.

Opening Day 2009

I have always wanted to go to Opening Day for the Reds. I've never been in the 22 years of my life. I can never seem to find tickets that are affordable. But this year I didn't mind it. The weather was nasty and cold. It rained almost the entire game. Besides the weather, I was pretty pleased with how the Reds played yesterday. The new players, Gonzales, McDonald, Owings, and Hernandez played their parts well. Even though, some players struggled at the plate, they still played well defensively. Gonzales made a diving stop, knocked the ball down, and still got the out. Jay Bruce continued to play well after his amazing major league debute last year. He got the first hit of the game, with a double up the middle. There were a few errors, but no one is perfect. Granted, these balls should've been caught, and there should've been better communication out on the field, but like I said NO ONE is perfect and makes a mistake from time to time. I was just happy to see a good game. At least it wasn't a shut out, and they didn't play horrible either. Hopefully, they will play well this season and have a winning record!

National Championship Game

I was excited about the championship game last night. I thought for once that Michigan State was going to give North Carolina a run for their money. They started out a little rough, but I thought it was just that they couldn't find their stroke. It doesn't matter what you are rated, it's all about who is making the shots during the games. Michigan State struggled throughout the whole game. They were down 20 at halftime. Its' hard to come back and win after being down 20 points at halftime. They knew that they had to step up their game in order to pull out a win. The second half wasn't exciting for me at all. Michigan State continued to struggle while UNC ran the floor. They dominated Michigan State in every aspect of the game : rebounds, free throws, less turnovers, three point field goals, etc. I would've liked to see someone else win instead of UNC. All I've heard about this whole year is how good Hansborough is, and I'm sick of hearing about him. WE ALL KNOW he is good and he knows he is good, we don't need everyone else to keep saying that he is good too. It gets old after a while.

Mariokart for Wii !!

About 1 week ago I finally bought Mariokart for my Wii that I got for Christmas this year. I have been to Target a million times to get it, and everytime I went there it was sold out. I even called before I went up there one day and they would say that they had it in stock, and by the time I got there it was sold out again! It drove me nuts. I guess I just didn't realize how popular that game was.

As all of you know, Target moved their location from Glencrossing to Western Hills Plaza. I was certain that they would have it in stock for their grand opening that was on March 6th. When I pulled into the parking lot it was packed! I could only hope that they had the game in stock. I walked in, went to the electronics department, found the Wii games and they had it! I was so happy. They only had two left and I bought one of them.

The first night that I had it, I played it for almost 4 hours. My fingers were sore the next day and that is kinda pathetic lol I enjoy it. They wheel is very sensitive which makes it hard to make sharp turns and not fall off the road.

My boyfriend and I played the other night and of course I lost. I lose at everything when I play against him. I'm a very competitive person. With that said, he doesn't care but at the same time he knows it bothers me that I'm not the winner. He just laughs at me! haha..But anyways I'm very happy I bought it, and I'll continue to enjoy it =]

March Madness 2009

March Madness is the only part of the season that I really enjoy. I mean I watch basketball games when they are on tv, but I really don't get into until the brackets come out. I like seeing the underdog come back and win. You never know who is going to win these games. If a team has come to play, then that team is going to win. In my opinion, anyone can win no matter what your seeded. It's like the teams put the regular season behind them and ONLY focus on the tournament.

I put money into a pool every year. I always pick a different team to win it every year. However, I never pick Duke to win the championship. That's the one team I can't stand. I can't stand the coach, or the players. Ever since JJ Redick played for them, I haven't been able to stand them. They are good and they are cocky about it. I can't stand teams like that. Take pride in your team but don't be cocky about it.

After selection sunday is over tonight, then I'll fill out my bracket. It's still up in the air as to who I will pick for the winner.

Grad Finale

Last week, I attended Grad Finale which basically lines you up for everything you have left in order to graduate on time. You start at the first table and work your way around to the 12 stations. There were a variety of different things I had to get checked in order to graduate in May. They checked my library fines. They gave me a pamphlet about short term medical insurance (which I hadn't thought about yet). I also got information about my student loans. The lady asked me questions about if i knew when the loans started kicking in after I graduated, and what forms to fill out to delay those loans. I ordered my cap and gown. I had to check my name on a card to make sure everything was spelled correctly. This lady tried to get me to order a class ring but I didn't get one because for one, they are expensive, and two because I'm not sure if I would wear it. I don't want to spend that much money on something that would go to waste. I also got a magazine about how to find a job in the business world. My parents ordered my graduation announcements. And as a gift to me, The Mount gave me an alumni license plate frame. How thoughtful lol.

Competitive with Almost Everything

It all started when I was little. I was around 5or 6 and my family and I were playing Trouble. Everyone had their guys out of base and I had all four. I was not happy. I got them out one by one, but everyone else almost had their players home. At the end of the game, I ended up winning and of course I was happy. As I got older the competitiveness continued. I played a number of sports: soccer, volleyball, basketball, dance, tap, ballet, gymnastics, basketball, swimming and softball. In everything that I played I wanted to be the best. In soccer, I was the striker and scored goals. In softball, I was the pitcher and struck people out. Those are just a few examples of how I played on the field. I also am competitive with video games, card games, pool, goofing around, almost anything. When I play Euchre, I have to have a good partner, or things do not go well. Kyle beats me at everything we play together. He always tells me it's just a game, and I know that, but it still bothers me that I lost. Often, we play pool at the bar and if I'm not shooting very good, everyone knows it. But, if I'm winning, or I'm playing well in anything, then I'm fine and I'm happy.

All of this competitiveness I have is because of my dad. He was the same way. I can tell you that, my family can tell you that, and even my dad can say it too. I blame in on my father! =]

Hell's Kitchen

Hell's Kitchen used to be a show as I'm sure most of you know already. But it is also a video game and I got for a Valentine's day gift from my boyfriend. I know it kind of sounds dumb but it's not really. It makes you think. I love to cook, so I enjoy it. You start out as an Apprentice cook, and move your way up. There are 5 weeks total. Each week is a different level cook. The best is a Super Chef. I'm just at Chef, which is pretty hard! There is a single player, multi player cooperative, and multi player competitive. Kyle (boyfriend) and I played tonight on both cooperative and competitive. Cooperative, we did well together, competitive however, he beats me. Therefore, he is better than me...along with almost everything else we play together. I'm competitive and I hate to lose...anyone would know that about me =]

Now, a week later, I am a Super Chef and it's pretty tough. It probably won't take me too much longer to beat the game but then I can just move on to something else lol.

Valentine's Day =]

I know that a lot of people say that Valentine's Day is just a "hallmark holiday," but I think it's a chance to show how you appreciate your significant other. Prior to my relationship now, I didn't like Valentine's Day because I never had anyone to appreciate before. I had relationships here and there but not one of them lasted long enough for Valentine's day. I have to work all day on Saturday, so Kyle and I will celebrate on Sunday. We will most likely go out to dinner and exchange gifts as well. We will be together for a year and a half at the end of this month. I got him a little gift, some candy and a card. I have no idea what I'm getting! I sure it's a thoughtful gift though =] This will be the second Valentine's Day we will spend together, and I'm sure there will many more to come!

Work Out Buddy

A friend of mine asked me to go work out with her about a month ago. I was skeptical at first because I haven't worked out with a trainer before. But my friend reassured me that I would be fine and would get results. When we got there, I filled out some paper work for my safety and to make sure I would be okay if anything happened. I filled out a sheet answering questions about my health history, and what I want to work on. After working out for the first time with the trainer, I felt that if I continued to work out then I would get the results that I wanted. She was right and I joined her gym. I really like having someone to go with me. It gives me something to work towards. She gives me some competition and she pushes me to do better. Since I've joined, I've been working out at least twice a week. It's hard to juggle school, work, and exercise for me. I'm so busy during the week, but somehow I manage to fit it all in. If it wasn't for my friend forcing me to go with her, I'm not sure I would work out on my own. I've also tried to eat better, and not drink as much pop either. I know that I have to eat better in order to get the results that I want. So I just want to say thank you to my friend, if it wasn't for her then I would be sitting on my butt not doing a damn thing!

work = my life

When I'm not at school, I'm at work most of the time. Except maybe for a rare occasion that I have something else going on that requires me to request off a certain day. I work around 25-30 hours a week every week. Most days are the same, but the times change from week to week. Generally I serve Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday every week. Lately, I've been cashing (cashier) on Mondays and Wednesdays. So with work Monday through Thursday and Saturday night, I don't have much time to do homework, and have a life! lol

I know I'm sitting here complaining about how much I work, but I know at the end of the week I've just grown more as a person and take on more responsibilities as an adult. My parents made me find a job in the summer between my freshman and sophomore years of high school in order to pay for my car insurance when I got my license in August of 2002. I didn't like the idea, but I knew I wanted to drive and this was the only way to make that happen. Most of my friends didn't have to work like I did. They almost had everything handed to them on a platter. I thought it wasn't fair and I would tell my parents the same thing, and they kept telling me that I'll understand when I get older. Sure enough, they were right.

As I got older and accumulated more bills, I began to understand more about what it means to work for anything you want. I couldn't go to mommy and daddy and be like "I want this," and they be like "Ok, sure whatever you want." That's not the way I was raised. I'm glad that now I understand why my parents raised me the way they did. They taught me to be independent and not lean on other people for everything. There are some co-workers of mine that don't even go to the bank by themselves! That just blows my mind. They need to grow up, be an adult, and do it yourself..lol It's quite simple if you ask me.

Now that I'm 22 years old and live by myself, I have full responsibility to pay my bills. I know now why my parents made me work at 15 years old and now I'm more responsible than a majority of my friends. I chose to move out and be independent and not depend on my parents for money to help pay my bills. I've been able to afford everything, including the recent holiday presents, and still be above the red line. It would be nice to not work all the time, but I don't know what I would do with myself!

I hate the Steelers!

Why does the one team that most of Cincinnati can't stand win the Super Bowl? Ben Roethlisberger scrambled out of 5 or 6 sacs that I can remember from the game earlier. There isn't anything nice that I can say about the Steelers, except the fact that they got rid of Bill Cower. I couldn't stand him on the sidelines. All he did the whole game was complain to the referees and field umpires about penalties that were called on the field. I'm sure every coach complains, but it seemed to me that he over-did it every game. No one wants to constantly see Bill Cower's face on the camera because he's complaining about yet another penalty against the Steelers. I can't stand how the Steelers blew Carson Palmer's chance to take the Bengals to win a Super Bowl in 2006. As almost everyone recalls, he was deliberately taken out by a steeler player. It was almost like someone upstairs in the coaches booth told the teammate to take Carson out and ruin our chances for a Super Bowl appearance. I know that might seem harsh and cruel, but that's how the Steelers are. No one will change my mind about this issue, and it's not because I'm a Bengals fan, it's because players shouldn't intentionally try and hurt someone. That is wrong and unsportsmanlike. Players should not act like this at any time during a game. It gives off a bad reputation and the media has a field day with it. That was all they talked about for weeks after it happened. I'm not a professional athlete, but hypothetically, I would want to be looked at as a role model. I would want positive things that fans can read about. Not negative things that only make you look bad. To me, the Steelers will never be looked at as a team full of role models. They will be looked at as unsportsmanlike, and players that play "dirty" on the field, and their fans will be referred to as rude, and cruel.

Stupid Snow

The city of Cincinnati has a variety of different climates and temperatures. The most recent weather activity is the sheets of ice and what seemed like never-ending snow we accumulated last week. When I was younger, I used to love snow days because we never had school...and we always used to go sled riding at my grade school. However, now I don't like snow days quite as much because I'm an adult and I have other responsibilities. We were off school Tuesday and Wednesday last week, but I still had to go to work in the dreadful weather. I was not happy to go into work either day, especially when my tires were almost completely bald and don't work very well in the snow or ice. My parents were not happy that I still went to work, but I can't call off when I have to pay my bills. Looking back, I probably should've put my safety first, but nothing happened so its ok! I recently purchased new tires for my car, so now I feel very safe driving in the snow.

Brittanee's Blog

This has become an issue this year. The IOC, International Olympic Committee, has decided to kick softball and baseball out of the 2012 Olympics. I researched this topic earlier this year for a presentation I had to give in my Current Issues Business of Sports class. I found different reasons for softball's elimination compared to baseball's elimination. However, softball's elimination basically was determined by the competition between teams. The IOC thinks that the USA women's team is too good to play in the Olympics. Baseball's elimination is based on poor resources. There are many countries who can't afford to buy the things that are essential to play the game. This is the first year since 1936 when a sport was eliminated from the Olympic games.

These two sports are could possibly be replaced with rugby, golf, karate, squash, and roller skate sports. The 2016 Olympics are still up in the air about reinstating baseball and softball. Baseball is America's past-time sport and there are too many fans that will be disappointed if this sport is permanently eliminated.

Sports Management Major

Softball and sports in general has a major influence on why I picked this major. I've been playing sports my whole life everything from soccer to gymnastics to dance and ballet. Sports has always been a HUGE part of my life. My parents were both into sports and they have passed their athletic ability down to me and my brothers. I love talking about sports all the time, so this is the perfect major. I'm interning at Tekulve Acceleration in the summer and I'm really looking forward to it. I have to put in 400 hours so I can only hope that I get something out of it in return. I hope that this economy doesn't prohibit me from getting a job when I graduate. I hope that I don't waste all the money my dad and I have spent on my education. I'm sure that I'm not the only one with these thoughts!

My best friend!

I have known my best friend for 14 years. She was one of the first people that I met when I moved in third grade. She lived behind me, which made it very convenient for us to hang out. Her family treated me like I was one of the family. Her mom won tickets to Celine Dion when I was in fourth grade. Amanda and her mom asked me to go with them. I was really excited considering I'd never been to a concert before (Celine Dion sounds lame, but it was the year the Titanic came out, so it was pretty good).

We went to grade school together from third to sixth grade. She moved at the end of sixth grade and I didn't get to see her as much. We went to different middle schools and high schools too. I used to go to her house and stay for two or three days at a time. There were always things that we did together. Most of the time we went to the movies or to dinner.

When I turned 16 years old, my mom threw me a surprise party. I had no idea this was happening. Amanda and her family "kidnapped" me for a day so my mom and dad could get everything ready for the party. I walked in the door and was totally surprised. All my friends and family were there. Amanda knew about it the whole time and never told me! But all in all, it was a good party. I got a car, a ring, and money. I was pretty content with it lol.

After I got my car, I would visit her more often. We still did the same things, with the exception that I would drive us around. I felt more like an adult rather than having our parents drop us off and pick us up.

Towards the end of my junior year, she told me that her dad got offered a job in Columbus, Ohio and that she might have to move away. I was hurt and didn't know what to think about my best friend leaving me. I knew that her parents had to make the best decision for their family, but at the same time I was losing a part of me. Her dad decided to take the job in Columbus and Amanda moved that summer in between junior and senior year. We told each other that we would keep in touch through phone, email and Instant Messenger.

After she moved I didn't see her much my senior year. She came down for a couple weekends throughout the year but nothing like it used to be. I graduated in May 2005, and little did I know, her and her family were at my graduation. I was totally surprised and very happy to see her. We went out to lunch with her family and just caught up on a few things.

A few months later I drove up to see her in Columbus, and we went to a concert that her dad got tickets from his company. We were in a box seats and everything paid for, it was awesome! I wish I would've spent more time with her but I had to get back to Cincinnati because I was about to start my first semester at The College of Mount St. Joseph as a freshman. I had to go out and get everything that I needed for my transition from high school into a college student.

When college started for us, we were both too busy to see each other. She ran track for Dennison University and I played softball for The Mount. We both had a lot things on our plates and didn't have time to have social lives. We didn't see each other for a year a half. We couldn't schedule a time where both of us were free to hang out.

She came down a week early for my 21st birthday last year. We went out to dinner with my roommates, she met my boyfriend, and went to get my birthday presents. It was the first time I had seen her in almost a year.

I got to see her last May when I was up in Columbus for a wedding with my boyfriend. He let me borrow his car and I drove 45 minutes to see her while he went out with his friends that night. We went and ate dinner, and went and hung out at her apartment. It was the first time that we had a chance to catch up in 9 months. She was turning 21 the next day but I had to go to the wedding. I gave her a car and money and I had to go. I wish I would've stayed longer.

Since then, we haven't talked very much. She's still at school at Dennison busy with track and classes. I'm finishing up my senior year here in Cincinnati at The Mount. Hopefully she will be able to come to my graduation party in the summer. I miss her =]

Softball Team Photo 2007 Season

Why am I this passionate about softball?

In general, sports has always been a part of my life. I started with soccer, like almost everyone else, and then played other sports also. This sport, in particular, has been in my life for a number of years. I started playing when I was 8 years old and I have loved it ever since. I played slow-pitch for three years before moving onto fast-pitch in sixth grade. When I started playing fast-pitch is when I realized how much the game meant to me. I've always been a competitive person and this type of competition really caught my eye. There were a lot of tournament games that I played in, most of them within the tri-state area.



I attended Anderson High School all four years. When you get to high school, there are two options, you either make the junior varsity or the varsity team. I was fortunate enough to make the varsity team as a freshman and I actually got to pitch in games as well. The most memorable game that I remember from that year is when I was given the opportunity to pitch against our arch rivals Turpin High School. I remember being really nervous, knowing that this is one of the games that everyone would remember forever. It was league game, I was put on the spot to lead my team to a victory, and play well against our biggest rival. Long story short, I pitched one of the best games of my freshman year that day. My mom always kept count of my pitches, balls to strikes, and how many per inning. She told me after the game that I only threw 68 pitches for the entire seven innings of the game. If you sit down and think about it, thats roughly 9 pitches per inning. I'm not trying to brag at all, I'm just saying this something that I am proud of.



After my sophomore season, our head coach hired a new assistant coach. She played college softball for four years at the College of Mount St Joseph. She was a great coach. She knew more about the game than anyone. She even knew more than the head coach knew, which wasn't saying much, considering she never played the game in her life. That's besides the point but everyone on the team liked her as a coach. She was the type of coach who would stay after and hit extra ground balls, work on different pitches, throwing drills, etc. She should have been the head coach from the beginning.

After high school, I was recruited by the assistant softball coach to play softball at the College of Mount St. Joseph. I played first base my freshman year and pitched a little bit too. During my sophomore year, myself and another girl split time at first base too. My junior year, I decided not to play because of financial reasons. I was at the point where it wasn't any fun anymore and I just didn't want to be there anymore. So I made one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. I realized that paying bills is more important than playing intercollegiate softball for a division III school. I don't regret my decision but I do miss it. Now, I just play slow-pitch softball for fun.