Six-Word Memoir and Backstory

February 07, 2020

Six-Word Memoir and Backstory

Lacking Faith but Driven By Passion

Throughout my whole life, I have shared the passion for sports with my family. This was shared to me by my dad's side of the family. My dad comes from a big family, and all 12 of his brothers and sisters at some point in their lives, played softball. They were all sharing the same passion as my grandpa to play the sport and play competitively in Tijuana, Mexico. Although many of my aunts quit after a period of time, my uncles all kept going and even when I was a little girl, they kept on playing. This included my dad, and I even got the chance to watch him play with my uncles for a long period of time when I was little, and later on when I was in high school he played in a league here in Poway.Watching my dad play made me love the sport and I wanted to play ever since.

My dad playing at the league in Poway

I started when I was in 8th grade at Montgomery Middle School, back then it was slow-pitch but I got to kind of get the feeling and get used to everything that came along with the sport. During and after that season, endless hours of practicing for the team and practicing in my own free time with my dad, started. I learned so much about the sport, and about the discipline that came along with it. I practiced and played year-round, in Tijuana, in recreational teams, and one season in club. I played for many teams and got asked several times to play for other teams as well. As I got near my graduation year for high school, I was confused because I love the sport of soft ball but I didn't think I was good enough to try out for any college team. I had only played for 3 1/2 years when I was a senior in high school, barely playing with club teams and I thought that wasn't going to cut it for a college/university. As much as I was willing to work hard to be able to get on a team, my own doubt, didn't let me see past it and I never tried to tryout after senior year. Although I didn't tryout, I still played in Tijuana and I kept on going until recently. I do regret not believing in myself a little more and have chosen the path for something I was passionate for. Overall, one thing I learned from this is that I have to believe in what I'm capable of because others can believe in me but If I can't believe in myself, then what's the purpose of following my heart and doing what I'm truly passionate for.