A while ago I was looking at softball shirts and came around one that I thought was funny for my dad. Number 8 doesn't apply to me because I dont have any siblings....
It said: A DOZEN REASONS TO BRING DAD TO THE BALL PARK
1. He Carries My Stuff
2. I Do Not Need An A.T.M. Card
3. He Can Catch My Throws In Warm Up
4. He Is My Personal Taxi Driver
5. I Never Get Hungry
6. He Makes Sure The Coach Plays Me In The Right Spot
7. He Tells The Umpire When It Is A Ball
8. He Keeps The Little Brothers Out Of My Hair
9. He's The Best Coach
10. He Brings Everything I Forgot - The $300.00 Bat...The $95.00 Glove...The $25.00 Batting Gloves...The Cool Sunglasses
Monica Abbott was the pitcher for the USA Team and for Tennessee. She has a very unique way of pitching...and i really like her diversity! She bends over and then starts her motion. If you don't under stand here is a video. She is very fun to watch pitch because you wonder what she will throw next! In the video she is pitching to Jennie Finch!!!
Lisa Fernandez is another famous pitcher! She played on the USA Team with Jennie Finch. Most people say she is the best softball player in the world...but to me she is the 2nd!! She is 5'6" which is short for a pitcher. She throws 68-69 mph, so even though she is short, she has a lot of power! Also, she has her own line of softball gear.
In a blog from March I talked about college softball recrutments. One thing i forgot to mention is that there is a camp in Colorado where coaches come to watch the games and see the girls playing. There are A LOT of good teams that go. I really hope the Chargers will be able to go sometime! I've been telling our softball coach that I want to go soooo bad!
The sooner's are one of my favorite softball teams ever! They are having a softball camp in June and hopefully I will be in town to go! I'll have to convince my dad that I NEED TO GO! :)there will probably a lot of amazing softball players and more than likely I will be very intimidated!!
OU's softball team had a game on Earth Day.If a student brought 10 or more recycalable items then they get a cute green shirt that says "boren to recycle", for President David L. Boren. Here is the article and a sample picture of the t-shirt.
Why did they take softball out of the Olympics? They said that not enough countries play USA Softball. The only other major country is Asia. I think it would be fun to just have two teams competing for the win. It would make it more exciting and it would be cool if they played like 5 games and whoever wins, wins. It's not North America and Asia's fault that were the only countries that have the talent to play softball! They replaced softball with bowling...NO ONE WANTS TO WATCH BOWLING! Softball has more action and is fun to watch.
Many people think that girls who play softball are more manly than those who play other sports. Most of the time the only girls who are more muscular are the catchers, first base, and sometimes the pitchers. Jennie Finch puts a new twist to the sport. She shows people that not ALL girls on softball teams are manly!! She wears her signature headbands and wears make up while playing. On the weekends, she spends her time doing girl stuff; like getting her nails done and wearing dresses as you can see from the picture to the left.
Jennie Finch played college softball at Univeristy of Arizona. I hope to play college softball as well but it might not be at Arizona. I want to go to either University of Oklahoma, University of Arizona, Tennessee, orBaylor. To me, it doesn't really matter where I go as long as I get to play softball in college!!!!!!!!
If you want to go play softball in college you need to get a scholarship. This can be difficult because there are many steps you have to take. Fist you have to get noticed and put yourself out to the public so they know you're looking. Second, you have to have good grades! C's, D's and F's won't help you because they are looking for girls who can keep up with their school schoolwork but also have enough time for sports.
Also you have to take the time to be on a recruitment website and tell them everything about yourself and what you can contribute to the team. I have already made a recruitment profile but it hasn't been confirmed yet. It is better to do it before your junior year so they can start to see if you have what it takes to play the game. NCSA.com is a recruiting site and this website not only had softball recruitments but every other sport out there!
Recently in Jennie Finch's tweets, she has been playing some ball with her old team mates. I think that is a very good idea because it is like a reunion and they can stay close to each other and talk about what has been happening in their lives. I don't see how she can play softball while she is pregnant though!! I would think it would be bad for the baby, but I guess as long as she doesn't get too rough the baby will be fine!
The year 2010 is one I will always remember not only because it was my first year of high school fast pitch, but also because it was the first year of fast pitch at Heritage Hall!!! My dad and I have been trying to get it started for a while and finally it started to pick up. Alyssa Bayless's dad made our own team website - Chargers Website The site has the schedule and results, photos, and a video of the team hitting and me pitching. I also received my varsity letter and I'm excited because at the end of my senior year I will have 4 pins for all the years I play varsity.
Jennie has an official website where you can buy many great things.Click Here For Website She has clothing and collectibles in her online store. Also on the homepage she has the dates for her camps and all the information for it.
On her homepage she has a link to her facebook fan page and also for her twitter.
In fastpitch softball there are many pitches a pitcher can throw. Themost common pitch to throw is the fastball, which goes straight down the middle of the plate or you can work on location and go inside low or high or outside low or high.
A change-up is one of the most important pitches. If you want the batter to be confused, throw her a change-up. Compared to a fastball the change-up is slower and half the speed of a regular pitch.The way you throw it is crucial to the pitch and it is hard to learn.
A curve ball is another important pitch if you want the batter to swing at off pitches. When you do this, the ball starts going toward the plate and thencurvesover towards the outside of the plate if you are right-handed and the inside of the plate if you are left-handed. The pitch similar to this is the screw ball. This pitch is thrown to a left handed batter and is similar to the curve.
A drop ball might be my favorite. It doesn't go directly into the catchers glove, it drops very low. It starts out as a regular pitch until it gets halfway and then it drops. Along with the change up, it is also hard to learn the motion.
Arise ball is one that I don't know how to throw yet. Obviously, like the name of it, it rises. It's the opposite of the drop ball and it is very hard to hit.
Out of all of these pitches, I know 5 out of 6. I only need to learn the rise ball and then I'll be set!
Jennie's motto has always been "Dream&Believe". She has her own line of glitter headbands, and of course, I had to get some! These headbands are extremely cute and add a little femininity to playing softball. They also look really nice while you're playing because the light reflects the glitter and you can see it shining.I have four of them: 2 white, 1 blue, and 1 gold. I am obsessed with them! They are $10.00 and they hold in your hair while you are playing. Not only are they for softball, they can be used for other active activities, or you can wear them with your everyday clothes to give your outfit some sparkle. :)
Jennie Finch likes to tweet. She tweets about her life, her son, and what she is doing. I follow her of course! I like to look at the pictures she puts on there and what all she has to say. Recently, she has been talking about her indigestion and heartburn from her pregnancy!
On MTV there is a show called "When I Was 17...". Celebrities are asked to come on the show and tell about their lives. I was watching it one day and all of a sudden I saw Jennie Finch on there! I was so excited. The other celebrities that were on when she was on were Drake and Queen Latifa. It was very interesting to hear her talk about her life in high school and growing up, since I am such a big fan, I couldn't keep my eyes off the tv!
Jennie Finch has an incredible form to her windmill motion. She had been working on it for years and obviously it has made a very good impact for her career. Her speed for her fastball is around the mid to upper 60's! She has many videos about her motion but if we want to be as good as her, everyone needs to practice 24-7!
In 2006, Jennie Finch and her husband Casey, found out that they were expecting their first child. They decided they would name the boy, Ace. Now, in 2011 she is expecting to have her second child. We don't know if it is a boy or a girl yet. I hope it is a girl because with her mother's help she could grow up and be as famous as her mom.
In high school Jennie was a very determined girl. She wanted to pitch a no hitter so she told her mom that if she did this she needed to get one thing that she really wanted. She was trying her hardest and one game she finally did it. Her mom had to buy her a Guess Watch and from that moment on she knew that if she set her mind to it, she can do anything she wants to do.
May 14-15, Jennie Finch and her Olympics teamates will be hosting a softball camp in Ardmore, Oklahoma. During this time campers will be recieving information and coaching from the staff. Participants will also recieve a picture taken with Jennie and her medals, goodie bags, t-shirts, cirtificate of participation and an autograph from Jennie. The cost is $175 per person and lodging IS NOT provided.
This is probably a once in a life time expierence because she is going to be demonstrating her windmill live!
Last year, 2010, Jennie Finch retired from her wonderful career in softball. She traveled around the country playing and hosting camps. Before her retirement she came to Oklahoma City to play in the World Cup of Softball and they were playing against Japan. All the team mates wore pink uniforms for breast cancer and then they had some selected guest come down to take pictures with the team. I went to the game and it was amazing to see Jennie and many other inspiring ladies playing live. I just wish I could have taken a picture with Jennie!!!
In 2005, softball was omitted from the Olympics. This upset many people and they want to bring it back. I think they should put it back in because softball, in my opinion, is one of the best sports! Out of all of the College Scholarships softball was one of the top 5 in Oklahoma. This proves that many people would probably like to play softball for the Olympics, including me. It has always been my dream to play for the Olympic Softball Team but if they don't put it back in, that will obviously not happen. PUT SOFTBALL BACK IN THE OLYMPICS!!!!
One of my favorite softball players is Jennie Finch. She is an amazing pitcher and i aspire to be like her. Jennie was born on September 3, 1980 in La Mirada, California. She attended high school at La Mirada and throughout her childhood she had been playing softball since she was 5. Finally, Arizona wanted Jennie to play softball for them and she did. But her most greatest accomplishment is playing in the USA Softball Olympics, and winning! I hope one day I can play on the Olympic softball team!!!
