Well my lovely readers, I did as I said I would and I went to my school's baseball tryouts today.
If I'm honest with you guys, I thought many times about not going and just saying that I didn't make the team it something came up, but I fought that urge and I went to the tryouts.
When I got there, there were only two other girls trying out and I previously knew them because I played softball with them, but I did recognize one other kid from my math class.
Besides that, it shouldn't be called the boys team, instead it should be called the men's team.
Little 5'4 me was up against all the seniors of the school who are around 6 feet tall and all have beards.
Admittedly, when I got there I was extremely nervous, but I gradually found myself feeling a little more relaxed.
Besides that, I don't think that they were horrible.
I definitely had a sore shoulder because it's so different from throwing a softball that my shoulder got sore and stiff pretty soon, so when it came to easy throws that came up short I was kicking myself a little bit.
The tryouts today were more like a scrimmage (a game played by one team and you separate the players accordingly) and I only got up to bat twice. They weren't awful, the first time took a lot of getting used to because the bat and the technique you have is quite different, so I struck out.
I struck out my second time at bat too, but I hit foul balls and that's good because the coaches know that I can make contact, it's just going to take some practice to get it right.
Of course it's hard going into something that you don't already know and it's even harder when you don't know many people around you, but putting yourself out there will help you with that.
You'll get to meet new people and it will give you a new experience.
I was terrified going into the tryout and imagined all the worst cases scenarios possible, but it all went fine, I'm here writing this post, I'm alive.
Will I make the team? That's a whole different question.
Will I regret ever going to the tryouts? I'll have to say no because then I won't ever wonder "What if?" and I'll be proud of myself for trying.
I'm still working on the whole "making friends" issue, and if you're on the same page as me, then clubs or school sports can defiantly help you make friends fast.
If you go in not really knowing what you're doing, that's fine, people will be there to help you.
Don't be afraid of something just because you feel alone or unprepared going in. Soon, you won't be alone and you'll know exactly what to expect.
One More Girl, no longer online
Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts
Wednesday, 9 September 2015
Thursday, 13 August 2015
Play Smart
I know it's Thursday, but I promise that I have a good excuse as to why I didn't post yesterday like I normally do.
I sprained my ankle pretty badly.
Let me go back to Monday night; I was playing a softball game and I was running to home plate from third and I had to slide, but the catcher blocked the plate so I slid right into her leg gear.
I'm not quite sure as to what exactly happened because it all happened so fast, but I think that I slid with my foot extended, so when I hit her leg, my ankle rolled over itself.
I never actually touched the plate though, so I flipped over to be on all fours and I touched the plate with my hand, but after that I took a minute of the field.
I couldn't get up because it hurt too bad, so I waiting a few minutes, took a few deep breathes and got up with the help of my coach and dad, then I hobbled off the field.
I iced it at the field, elevated it and all, but my mom ended up taking me to the Emergency Room not too long after.
I spent the majority of my evening in the Emergency Room, got X-rays, was told that it wasn't broken and that I can leave.
When I got home, I started icing it and doing everything I could to start the healing process.
I couldn't sleep well at all because I was in pain, so every night I wouldn't sleep much at all, only a few hours, therefore I spent most of Tuesday and Wednesday napping during the days.
I was exhausted by Wednesday, so I didn't have the energy to write and I was asleep for most of the day.
That's why I couldn't post on Wednesday, so my apologies that this is late.
With that story of how I got this injury, I want to go off a little bit more from my posts Injuries and Recoveries, and Being Conscious of Injuries.
In those posts, I wrote about how you shouldn't be ashamed or embarrassed for whatever you need to recover from an injury or illness and you shouldn't be ashamed or embarrassed of it because you know it's helping you heal; and also how you should know your limits and be concious of your pain level and movement.
I'm not ashamed or embarrassed to have physio tape on, an ankle brace and crutches, but I am worried.
I'm worried because I'm supposed to be going to the biggest softball tournament of the year in a week and a half from today.
I'm worried that I won't heal in time and that I either make it worse while playing or that I make it worse while playing in the tournament.
It's a hard situation where I'm in a time limit, but I know that healing is the priority.
When it comes to an injury where you have to be better pretty quickly, then there's only one thing you can do:
Hold back.
Don't do anything strenuous, don't try to jump into something to quickly and don't be afraid to sit something out.
I'm actually currently writing this from a laser tag place, I'm not playing, but I came here to be with the group I was coming with.
I hate not being able to play, but I know healing is the main priority and that I have to hold back on this.
I'm still with the group, I'm still having fun, but I know that I can't do everything that they are, and that's okay
I didn't feel like a loser while waiting for them, I don't feel as though I was wasting my time because I did enjoy myself even though I had limits that others didn't.
I knew that I had to be careful and take care of myself, so that's what I did.
There's absolutely no shame in taking care of yourself and backing out of activities.If anything, it says a lot about yourself and proves how much you will take your recovery into your own hands.
One More Girl, no longer online
I sprained my ankle pretty badly.
Let me go back to Monday night; I was playing a softball game and I was running to home plate from third and I had to slide, but the catcher blocked the plate so I slid right into her leg gear.
I'm not quite sure as to what exactly happened because it all happened so fast, but I think that I slid with my foot extended, so when I hit her leg, my ankle rolled over itself.
I never actually touched the plate though, so I flipped over to be on all fours and I touched the plate with my hand, but after that I took a minute of the field.
I couldn't get up because it hurt too bad, so I waiting a few minutes, took a few deep breathes and got up with the help of my coach and dad, then I hobbled off the field.
I iced it at the field, elevated it and all, but my mom ended up taking me to the Emergency Room not too long after.
I spent the majority of my evening in the Emergency Room, got X-rays, was told that it wasn't broken and that I can leave.
When I got home, I started icing it and doing everything I could to start the healing process.
I couldn't sleep well at all because I was in pain, so every night I wouldn't sleep much at all, only a few hours, therefore I spent most of Tuesday and Wednesday napping during the days.
I was exhausted by Wednesday, so I didn't have the energy to write and I was asleep for most of the day.
That's why I couldn't post on Wednesday, so my apologies that this is late.
With that story of how I got this injury, I want to go off a little bit more from my posts Injuries and Recoveries, and Being Conscious of Injuries.
In those posts, I wrote about how you shouldn't be ashamed or embarrassed for whatever you need to recover from an injury or illness and you shouldn't be ashamed or embarrassed of it because you know it's helping you heal; and also how you should know your limits and be concious of your pain level and movement.
I'm not ashamed or embarrassed to have physio tape on, an ankle brace and crutches, but I am worried.
I'm worried because I'm supposed to be going to the biggest softball tournament of the year in a week and a half from today.
I'm worried that I won't heal in time and that I either make it worse while playing or that I make it worse while playing in the tournament.
It's a hard situation where I'm in a time limit, but I know that healing is the priority.
When it comes to an injury where you have to be better pretty quickly, then there's only one thing you can do:
Hold back.
Don't do anything strenuous, don't try to jump into something to quickly and don't be afraid to sit something out.
I'm actually currently writing this from a laser tag place, I'm not playing, but I came here to be with the group I was coming with.
I hate not being able to play, but I know healing is the main priority and that I have to hold back on this.
I'm still with the group, I'm still having fun, but I know that I can't do everything that they are, and that's okay
I didn't feel like a loser while waiting for them, I don't feel as though I was wasting my time because I did enjoy myself even though I had limits that others didn't.
I knew that I had to be careful and take care of myself, so that's what I did.
There's absolutely no shame in taking care of yourself and backing out of activities.If anything, it says a lot about yourself and proves how much you will take your recovery into your own hands.
One More Girl, no longer online
Sunday, 17 May 2015
Anxiety Attack And Amazing Teammates
Whenever I'm in a tight situation, I usually work myself up.
I can work myself up over the smallest details and make those small details seem like the biggest life changing events.
It's fair to say that I feel anxious a lot and sometimes, that feeling of anxiety gets to be too much.
Although panic attacks and anxiety attacks are quite similar, there are a few difference.
An anxiety attack is often the reaction of a stressor. It's like you're at the peak of a roller coaster ride, seeing the big drop ahead of you. With anxiety attacks, you may feel fearful or apprehensive. Your heart could start to race, you may feel short of breath, but anxiety attacks tend to be short lived. When the stressor, meaning if the event that is causing the stressor goes away or you yourself physically remove yourself from the situation, you can get the anxiety attack under control.
Panic attacks don't come in reaction with a stressor. They tend to be unprovoked and unpredictable. During one, the person could be seized with terror, fear or apprehensive. The person having the attack could feel as if they're going to die, lose control or have a heart attack. Symptoms of a panic attack are chest pains, shortness of breath, dizziness and nausea.
After explaining both of those, I can say that I've experienced both of them.
I was away at a softball tournament this weekend when I had an anxiety attack.
We were playing a game to go to the gold medal championship game and I was doing terrible.
The anxiety started at the start of the tournament. I didn't hit at all, so that made me start to panic a little bit. We were pretty tight on the score board, we were only ahead by three runs and I failed two of the most important plays I had the whole weekend.
I was playing first base and I missed the first ball for an easy out and I let one go by in the dirt. At one point, I had the ball and a girl was running to home, but I waited too long to throw the ball and she was safe. I was supposed to go to first base the next inning also, but my coach switched me out. I can't blame him, he just wanted the best for the team.
I, however, felt as if I let the whole team down.
I couldn't do anything right, how could they even say good job to the person who let the run in?
I sat on the bench and one girl noticed I was being hard on myself and looked upset, so she made sure I was okay.
At that point, I was still trying I choke everything down. She sat in the bench not too far from me, but I kept working myself up because I knew that I had to go bat and I didn't hit at all this tournament.
The girl who made sure I was okay looked over at me, and before I knew it, I snapped.
I felt a ball in my throat and my stomach. I felt as if I was going to be sick, I couldn't breath properly, my heart felt as if it was pounding in my chest.
The girl came over and just sat in front of me and told me to breath while patting my leg. There were two other girls sitting next to me, but they didn't say anything. They just also wanted to make sure I was okay.
The girl stayed with me until I was able to calm myself down and she was a big help. She told me that she knew what it was like, so whether the fact that she's experienced them herself or has a friend who has anxiety or panic attacks is unknown to me.
She had to go up to bat, so she asked the two other girls to watch over me in a nice way. They didn't ask why it happened, what caused it, they didn't asked anything about what just happened. They simply asked if I was okay it or if I needed anything.
Needless to say, I was slightly ashamed that my teammates saw that, I never wanted any of them to know that I experience anxiety attacks, but in the end they found out. They didn't care, they didn't mock me. They did what teammates do and they helped me and I couldn't be more grateful then that.
Once I got back on my feet, I walked to the other end of the dugout and one girl who must've saw what was happening also asked if I was alright. Once again, she didn't ask what happened, why it happened or what that was, but she only asked if I was doing alright.
I just want to say that just because that's my story, that doesn't mean that it's everyone else's.
If you know someone who's having an anxiety or panic attack, there's many ways to help, but it will all depend on the person.
• Some people won't mind if you touch them, but for others it might make the situation worse. Always ask them before you touch them in any way.
• Don't think about what you would like done in that situation, but focus on what the person having the attack needs.
• If they ask for some space, give it to them. It's absolutely nothing to be offended about. Some people deal with them on their own and have their own way of calming themselves down, but they might feel the need to be alone for it. If they ask you to leave, you can still keep an eye on them! Don't feel as if they don't want you around because that just not be what they need at the moment.
• Ask them before you bring someone else to the situation. I know myself that I hate attention on me, especially if it's when I have an attack, so if you want to bring someone else in to help them, always ask them. Say something like "Hey, is it okay if ______ comes over here?" If they can't talk, the person might nod or shake their head. If they don't give you a reply, it would probably be best to take it as a no.
The information I received for the differences between a panic and anxiety attack is from a health website, but the bullet points are from my own person experiences.
This was a little personal for me to write about, but I hope that at least one of you will be able to take something away from it.
To all those who have anxiety or experience panic attacks and don't want to leave a comment or feel as if you dot have anyone to talk to about this, you can always send me an email at onemoregirlonline@gmail.com and I'll be there for you.
In the end, my team went undefeated at the tournament and went home with the gold and I found out just how truly amazing my teammates are.
One More Girl, no longer online
I can work myself up over the smallest details and make those small details seem like the biggest life changing events.
It's fair to say that I feel anxious a lot and sometimes, that feeling of anxiety gets to be too much.
Although panic attacks and anxiety attacks are quite similar, there are a few difference.
An anxiety attack is often the reaction of a stressor. It's like you're at the peak of a roller coaster ride, seeing the big drop ahead of you. With anxiety attacks, you may feel fearful or apprehensive. Your heart could start to race, you may feel short of breath, but anxiety attacks tend to be short lived. When the stressor, meaning if the event that is causing the stressor goes away or you yourself physically remove yourself from the situation, you can get the anxiety attack under control.
Panic attacks don't come in reaction with a stressor. They tend to be unprovoked and unpredictable. During one, the person could be seized with terror, fear or apprehensive. The person having the attack could feel as if they're going to die, lose control or have a heart attack. Symptoms of a panic attack are chest pains, shortness of breath, dizziness and nausea.
After explaining both of those, I can say that I've experienced both of them.
I was away at a softball tournament this weekend when I had an anxiety attack.
We were playing a game to go to the gold medal championship game and I was doing terrible.
The anxiety started at the start of the tournament. I didn't hit at all, so that made me start to panic a little bit. We were pretty tight on the score board, we were only ahead by three runs and I failed two of the most important plays I had the whole weekend.
I was playing first base and I missed the first ball for an easy out and I let one go by in the dirt. At one point, I had the ball and a girl was running to home, but I waited too long to throw the ball and she was safe. I was supposed to go to first base the next inning also, but my coach switched me out. I can't blame him, he just wanted the best for the team.
I, however, felt as if I let the whole team down.
I couldn't do anything right, how could they even say good job to the person who let the run in?
I sat on the bench and one girl noticed I was being hard on myself and looked upset, so she made sure I was okay.
At that point, I was still trying I choke everything down. She sat in the bench not too far from me, but I kept working myself up because I knew that I had to go bat and I didn't hit at all this tournament.
The girl who made sure I was okay looked over at me, and before I knew it, I snapped.
I felt a ball in my throat and my stomach. I felt as if I was going to be sick, I couldn't breath properly, my heart felt as if it was pounding in my chest.
The girl came over and just sat in front of me and told me to breath while patting my leg. There were two other girls sitting next to me, but they didn't say anything. They just also wanted to make sure I was okay.
The girl stayed with me until I was able to calm myself down and she was a big help. She told me that she knew what it was like, so whether the fact that she's experienced them herself or has a friend who has anxiety or panic attacks is unknown to me.
She had to go up to bat, so she asked the two other girls to watch over me in a nice way. They didn't ask why it happened, what caused it, they didn't asked anything about what just happened. They simply asked if I was okay it or if I needed anything.
Needless to say, I was slightly ashamed that my teammates saw that, I never wanted any of them to know that I experience anxiety attacks, but in the end they found out. They didn't care, they didn't mock me. They did what teammates do and they helped me and I couldn't be more grateful then that.
Once I got back on my feet, I walked to the other end of the dugout and one girl who must've saw what was happening also asked if I was alright. Once again, she didn't ask what happened, why it happened or what that was, but she only asked if I was doing alright.
I just want to say that just because that's my story, that doesn't mean that it's everyone else's.
If you know someone who's having an anxiety or panic attack, there's many ways to help, but it will all depend on the person.
• Some people won't mind if you touch them, but for others it might make the situation worse. Always ask them before you touch them in any way.
• Don't think about what you would like done in that situation, but focus on what the person having the attack needs.
• If they ask for some space, give it to them. It's absolutely nothing to be offended about. Some people deal with them on their own and have their own way of calming themselves down, but they might feel the need to be alone for it. If they ask you to leave, you can still keep an eye on them! Don't feel as if they don't want you around because that just not be what they need at the moment.
• Ask them before you bring someone else to the situation. I know myself that I hate attention on me, especially if it's when I have an attack, so if you want to bring someone else in to help them, always ask them. Say something like "Hey, is it okay if ______ comes over here?" If they can't talk, the person might nod or shake their head. If they don't give you a reply, it would probably be best to take it as a no.
The information I received for the differences between a panic and anxiety attack is from a health website, but the bullet points are from my own person experiences.
This was a little personal for me to write about, but I hope that at least one of you will be able to take something away from it.
To all those who have anxiety or experience panic attacks and don't want to leave a comment or feel as if you dot have anyone to talk to about this, you can always send me an email at onemoregirlonline@gmail.com and I'll be there for you.
In the end, my team went undefeated at the tournament and went home with the gold and I found out just how truly amazing my teammates are.
One More Girl, no longer online
Wednesday, 11 February 2015
Finding Happiness: Part One
In my post Endless Opportunities, I wrote about how the world holds many opportunities for you, you don't have to feel trapped in a box, and that you should do whatever it takes for you to be happy.
Yesterday, I took the first step on my journey to find my happiness.
I have been an athlete for awhile now. I have been a competitive swimmer for about eight or nine years and a softball player for easily about six years now. I love both sports, but for the past year and a half or so, I have been losing interest in swimming at a fast rate.
I kept pushing myself to finish the season last year, so I did and I was content with that but I wasn't over the moon or anything. When my mom asked me if I wanted to swim this season back in September, I wasn't all that sure, but I finally ended up saying yes to it because I figured that since it was a big part of my life for so long I become happier as the seasons and practices unfolded.
I was wrong.
Practices went on and I couldn't help but feel miserable. I love swimming, I always will, but I didn't feel good doing it, I no longer enjoyed it and I would be counting down the minutes until practice was over.
That was my sign.
I wasn't happy doing it, I had to change something.
Having six practices a week, training nine or so hours per week, I personally thought that that was too much time and dedication put into something that I was always dreading.
I was terrified to officially quit the team. Like I said, it was such a big part of my life and I wasn't sure what I would do with all that now free time on my hands. While I was writing the email to my coach explaining that I will no longer attend practices, I kept asking myself if it was the right thing to do. Deep down, I knew it was the right thing to do, I was just afraid to let go of that part of my life.
After having an internal war with myself, I sent the email and I felt...relieved.
Today, I woke up feeling great. I wasn't worrying over future swim meets and practices, but of what to I value more important in my life.
Writing and reading have always been things that I love to do, but with all the swimming hours, homework and other events in my life, I didn't always have the chance to do them.
Now, I can. I'm not feeling as if I won't have time to do everything I want to do in my day.
Letting go of something that lasted years in your life can be scary, terrifying even, but if it's something you feel forced to do and you don't love them any longer, it's worth it.
Well, it is to me.
I have my happy moments, don't get me wrong, but I can't say that I'm overwhelmed with this feeling of happiness.
It might take a while, but this is the first step in my journey to find happiness, and I hope that it can inspire one of you guys to go out and find yours.
One More Girl, no longer online
Yesterday, I took the first step on my journey to find my happiness.
I have been an athlete for awhile now. I have been a competitive swimmer for about eight or nine years and a softball player for easily about six years now. I love both sports, but for the past year and a half or so, I have been losing interest in swimming at a fast rate.
I kept pushing myself to finish the season last year, so I did and I was content with that but I wasn't over the moon or anything. When my mom asked me if I wanted to swim this season back in September, I wasn't all that sure, but I finally ended up saying yes to it because I figured that since it was a big part of my life for so long I become happier as the seasons and practices unfolded.
I was wrong.
Practices went on and I couldn't help but feel miserable. I love swimming, I always will, but I didn't feel good doing it, I no longer enjoyed it and I would be counting down the minutes until practice was over.
That was my sign.
I wasn't happy doing it, I had to change something.
Having six practices a week, training nine or so hours per week, I personally thought that that was too much time and dedication put into something that I was always dreading.
I was terrified to officially quit the team. Like I said, it was such a big part of my life and I wasn't sure what I would do with all that now free time on my hands. While I was writing the email to my coach explaining that I will no longer attend practices, I kept asking myself if it was the right thing to do. Deep down, I knew it was the right thing to do, I was just afraid to let go of that part of my life.
After having an internal war with myself, I sent the email and I felt...relieved.
Today, I woke up feeling great. I wasn't worrying over future swim meets and practices, but of what to I value more important in my life.
Writing and reading have always been things that I love to do, but with all the swimming hours, homework and other events in my life, I didn't always have the chance to do them.
Now, I can. I'm not feeling as if I won't have time to do everything I want to do in my day.
Letting go of something that lasted years in your life can be scary, terrifying even, but if it's something you feel forced to do and you don't love them any longer, it's worth it.
Well, it is to me.
I have my happy moments, don't get me wrong, but I can't say that I'm overwhelmed with this feeling of happiness.
It might take a while, but this is the first step in my journey to find happiness, and I hope that it can inspire one of you guys to go out and find yours.
One More Girl, no longer online
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